Chastened Chelsea all out of ideas

JOHN TERRY could hardly have been more emphatic. “We need a result, we need a performance, we need a clean sheet,” the Chelsea captain wrote in his programme notes ahead of this visit from the top flight’s least in-form side.

In the end, Chelsea achieved one out of three and they were lucky to get that. If there was a side that left here nagged by regrets, it was Hull, who missed three gilt-edged chances to notch a victory to match their jaw-dropping triumph at Arsenal in September.

Chelsea’s megastars, meanwhile, bore the look of haunted men. Regaining the title already appears beyond them and Luiz Felipe Scolari is facing a monumental task to simply retain the club’s top four status. Chelsea, out of form, low in confidence and short of ideas, are badly wounded and their rivals have the scent of blood in their nostrils.

“We haven’t been good enough,” Terry said, in a daming assessment of his side’s failings . “We need to improve — we owe that to ourselves, the manager, the club and the fans, who are paying a lot of money to see not great football. ”

“The challenge is massive. We have to win something this season but in games against the top five we’ve only kept one clean sheet and that’s not good enough. We haven’t scored enough goals either.”

Whether this squad has the desire, or the quality, to heed Terry’s clarion call is anyone’s guess.

There are cracks everywhere. In attack, Chelsea are chronically short of penetration: on Saturday, Salomon Kalou looked what he is, a striker being played as a winger; Ricardo Quaresma, making his debut after signing on loan from Inter, drew one fine save from goalkeeper Matt Duke, but then faded; and Nicolas Anelka is playing with all the confidence of a striker without a league goal since 14 December.

Didier Drogba’s contribution was summed up when Hull manager Phil Brown was asked what he had whispered to the Ivorian before he came on as a 63rd-minute substitute. “I just said: ‘Don’t try too hard’,” he replied. He need not have worried: trying hard is not Drogba’s style these days.

In defence of Chelsea’s attack, they had precious little to feed on and this was a reminder of how desperately they can struggle when Frank Lampard fails to fire. Michael Ballack, in particular, is a wretched imitation of his former swaggering self and the German is hardly straining every sinew to justify his mooted one-year contract extension. At present, Abramovich would be entitled to wonder whether sideways passes and the odd free-kick is really worth £130,000-a-week.

Even Chelsea’s previously cast-iron defence was regularly carved open.

Craig Fagan twice sprinted clear, but his first effort was chipped tamely at Hilario and Terry snuffed out his second with an exquisite tackle. The superb Geovanni, meanwhile, exploited a gaping hole to play in Dean Marney, only for the midfielder to slide wide.

That saved Scolari from complete embarrassment, but even so it is difficult to see how the Brazilian can resuscitate Chelsea’s season or, indeed, his own job prospects. There is a stale air to this side which cannot simply be explained by the fact that they finished the game with six outfield players aged over 30.

Manchester United also boast a few veterans, but there is more pep and panache in Ryan Giggs’ little finger than Ballack, Drogba and Anelka can currently muster between them.

Scolari must reawaken his alchemical qualities if Chelsea’s season is not to slump into disaster, although many fans have already decided he is not the man to lead them forward.

He was greeted with choruses of “You don’t know what you’re doing” when he replaced Quaresma and a group of fans unfurled a banner at the final whistle demanding his dismissal.

Such reactions might say more about the fickle nature of Chelsea’s support than Scolari’s abilities and those fans might wish to reflect on the damage they are doing. “I can understand the fans’ frustrations but it should not be with the management,” Terry added. “We’re the ones not doing what we should be doing.

“The fans are not seeing the football they want to see or the football we know we can play from the 2004-05 season. We are not at that level any more.”

Hull’s performance will inevitably be overlooked but once more they did themselves proud. The visitors’ doughtiness was blended with some sparkling football and it was perplexing to think they remain winless in the league since December.

Brown is refusing to set a survival target, although he did suggest they would need more than the traditional 40 points.

At least Hull can start looking up again: Scolari can only peer anxiously over his shoulder.

REFEREE: Lee Mason (Lancashire) 6: Could have given a late penalty for handball against Andy Dawson.

MATCH RATING: *** Not as dour as the scoreline suggests. Chelsea were damned by the fact that the best football — and better chances — were created by Hull.