Feeling blue as Drogba threatens to walk away

OUR visit to Boro was a memo-rable one this season; firstly, we decided to break up the journey by getting at least half way up the evening before.

It was because of this that we found ourselves in Worksop on a Friday night. It’s not a town I would recommend for an exciting evening’s entertainment but at least I can cross it off my “100 places to visit before I die” list.

Of course Alex’s thunderbolt made our visit to Teeside one we won’t forget in a hurry. The goal was as spectacular as Drogba’s was easy. I was a little worried over the reception that our Didier would receive taking into account the leaked interview from France Football.

His comments could be best described as very frank and left no one in any doubt what his take is on all that has gone here.

Despite his subsequent half apology, I think it is evident to all that he will be gone by the time next season comes around. Drogba’s comments had the supporters on the various message boards in two distinct camps. Those that basically felt that if he didn’t want to play for us he could go forth and multiply, and those that were sympathetic to his feeling of having lost a manager whom he obviously felt a deep affinity with.

I needn’t have worried — the fans at Boro got behind him from the moment he stepped onto the pitch. He responded by scoring a goal and coming to us at the final whistle bowing his head, kissing his shirt and throwing it into the crowd. Not a sign that perhaps he was happy, nor that he was contrite, but that he understood that we understood.

Despite the win the Chelsea faithful still have not accepted Grant as our manager.

‘‘Stevie Clarke’s blue and white army” was chanted loudly through long parts of the match last weekend and I cannot see Clarke’s name being substituted by Grant’s any time soon. We are still to see the free-flowing football that our new management team have allegedly been bought in to achieve — but to be honest it’s all a bit soon for that. However if Grant can deliver results and the very beautiful game he may win the fans over.

Some players will no doubt be pleased at Mourinho’s departure, and one near the top of that list seems to be Joe Cole. But they do say “be careful for what you wish for” and Joey may do well to heed that warning. He has already hinted that the new regime has allowed him more freedom on the pitch. This does not seem to be doing him much good. It is no secret that Mourinho disliked Cole’s showboating and pulled him up on it again and again — and on a couple of occasions publicly. Perhaps it is coincidence, but Joe has not played particularly well since Mourinho’s exit.

Lampard is back in the side and it has become more evident than ever how much we rely on him and how he manages to make the whole side tick. The link up play that has been so desperately lacking in his absence is back and it is no coincidence that so are the goals. I pray to whoever is listening that he sorts out his issues with the club and does sign that contract extension as his like are very few and far between no matter how much cash you are willing to splash around.

Chelsea seem to have finally learnt a valuable lesson. We have a sell-out for our Champions League game against Schalke this evening and the reason is very simple — the tickets are £25 rather than the £37.50 charged for the Rosenborg game. Perhaps sensible pricing would have ensured that teams like Man City take their full allocation at Stamford Bridge rather than half what is allocated to them.

I haven’t had a swipe at Liverpool for a few weeks now and I can’t let the weekend’s events go without comment can I? You know that I still get e-mails from Liverpool fans about that tackle of Essien’s. I’m sure you can’t have forgotten it as there were whole programmes dedicated to it. In the letters I have been told over and over again how a Liverpool player just wouldn’t do that — how the noble crowd would not allow a Red to do that. And let’s not even go into the Lescott assault. Anyway will all of those of you so quick off the keyboard last time be writing to me again calling for a six-month ban on Kuyt?