We’ve lost the ability to give opponents ‘the fear’

I KNOW that it’s easy to say that Mourinho would have got a point against Arsenal. But his record against the top three and Arsenal in particular speaks for itself.

Some will point to the fact that Sunday we were missing Essien, Carvalho and Drogba – then seem to conveniently forget that we were also missing Drogba and Carvalho last season – as well as being down to 10 men for half the match.

Last season when you got off the tube at Arsenal, you couldn’t smell the familiar smell of horseshit and hamburgers – because it had been over-powered by the smell of fear.

The fans, players and manager of Arsenal were afraid of Mourinho and so in turn were afraid of his team. That fear has gone. That fear would have ground out a point at least in a game such as this.

Games won against the top four teams win you titles – it’s that simple. Grant has now played two and lost two. He needs to learn how to win these games and learn fast.

To give Grant a four-year contract is simply absurd. Especially when you see that someone with the pedigree of Capello was available.

Personally I think that only one thing can be deduced from such an appointment when there were better candidates available – the aforementioned candidates would not permit the owner to decide on which players are bought and such candidates would not be dictated to in terms of the style of football to be played.

Speaking of style of football – I saw a T-shirt which depicted Grant as Chemical Ali declaring that we are playing attractive and attacking football. That is where we are – he is becoming a laughing stock.

What makes last weekend’s result even more annoying is that Arsenal were pretty ordinary.

I was expecting dazzling, awe-inspiring football – after all that is all we are hearing from Gooners and the sycophantic press.

But they were dirty, diving cheats with Eboue as chief protagonist and Fabregas rolling about clutching his face as if he’d been sprayed with ammonia when “Cashley” (Gooners are SO funny aren’t they?) touched his neck.

I am often exasperated by the amount of tourists and corporates at Stamford Bridge – but ours are just a drop in the ocean when compared to the Emirates. I have never seen so many people in official club merchandise, clutching further merchandise bags while having their pictures taken, then enquiring in broken English where their seats are.

As for the atmosphere – well what atmosphere? Again, some may say that we are in no position to throw stones, but Stamford Bridge is still infinitely better than virtual silence – they really had no come back when we sung “the atmosphere’s electric”.

What did make me laugh was the old “where were you when you were sh*t” – if they care to look at the footage of Kerry Dixon scoring the equaliser at Highbury and 20,000 Chelsea fans going loopy, that should tell them where we were – over-running their ground at every opportunity.

So tonight Grant gets another crack at one of the top four (although technically at the moment Liverpool do not fall within that remit). He can see it as a bit of a dry run as it’s “only” the Carling Cup. As well as the well publicised grudge between both sets of supporters, both managers have points to prove – Grant to the supporters and Benitez to the owners so I expect to see fairly full strength sides.

So it only remains to wish you all a merry Christmas – except you Gooners, and Scousers obviously….and United and Reading fans – oh sod it – peace and good will to all men (and women) as long as you wear the royal blue of Chelsea.

I don’t hold out much hope of getting what I want for Christmas as the stores in SW6 seem to be all out of qualified managers it seems. Perhaps the best I can hope for is for a Christmas miracle and pray that Roman gets visited by the ghost of Chelsea past (Gianfranco Zola), the ghost of Chelsea present (Avram obviously) and the ghost of Chelsea future (will vary on where you think we are heading, but I currently have Dean Windass in this role) and puts us back on the right path sooner rather than later.

And if I don’t get my Christmas miracle – well bah humbug to the lot of you!!

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