TERRACE TALK: Chelsea: Keep this up and we could very well blow this league
How can you witness a ‘refereeing’ display such as Martin Atkinson’s and not have dark thoughts? These constant refereeing mistakes at the very least make you think either that there is something dubious going on or that Atkinson is spectacularly inept — neither scenario is ideal, is it?
No one expects a referee to get every decision right in a game — but then neither do we expect them to get every major decision wrong. In fact the only thing he really got right was sending Matic off — by the laws of the game, he had to go.
Of course, most of us would have reacted in the same way (or worse), but it’s so frustrating as we will now lose him at what could be a pivotal point of the season — just as City are ominously getting back into their stride. And that’s before you even think about the Carling Cup final.
What has been interesting is the way the media has dealt with Barnes’s potential leg-breaker — Costa’s ‘tread’ was on a constant loop on every sport’s channel; we had graphics on “Costa’s Crimes” and the like — no such thing here. No calls for retrospective action (despite acceptance it will follow). I understand Chelsea have a higher profile than Burnley but doesn’t this imbalance in reporting effectively amount to a campaign?
And anyway, how does a retrospective ban for Barnes benefit us at all?
That said, we can only look at ourselves for not collecting all three points. Once again we were tear-your-hair-out pedestrian — complacent, bordering on arrogant. We take to the field expecting goals to follow — I barely even recognise this as a Mourinho team. Jose’s teams used to take to the field like warriors — they would then proceed to outplay, out-muscle, outthink and out-manoeuvre opposition. We now take to the field and assume victory will come via osmosis. From where I’m standing, we could very well blow this league.
As depressing as that thought is, it feels good to be talking about football rather than events of Paris — but talk of them we must. A handful of neanderthals have dragged the club through the mud again. The actions of a few have sullied the reputation of the many. Anyone who has been to Stamford Bridge in recent years will testify we have one of the most diverse fan bases in the Premier a League (or any league).
We were the first Premier League club to have a black manager; we were also the first Premier League club to have a black director of football. The players, coaching staff, stadium staff — reflect the diversity you will find in London as a whole.
The club have worked tirelessly to eradicate this element from the club — all this undone in a few horrendous minutes.
I have been asked if I am ashamed. I have nothing to be ashamed of. Neither I nor the club is defined by those idiots. The club has vowed to identify, investigate and hand life bans to the guilty. They can do no more.
Every club has a small unsavoury element — to lump in the entire support with that minority element is unfair, foolish and unhelpful. The condemnation of those involved by all connected with Chelsea (both club and supporters) has been unequivocal and vociferous.
The whole sorry episode has been depressing in the extreme. Not the best week in the long and illustrious history of Chelsea Football Club.
These next two weeks could really make or break our season. Many have cited Matic as the player who allows the more creative players to do their thing. To lose him for three games is going to be beyond difficult. I saw stats earlier in the season regarding our win rate with and without the Serb. You will not be surprised to learn that the win rate takes a nose dive without him. But we are where we are.
Jose will need to weave his magic to nullify the memory of the last Tottenham horror show and to instil belief despite the loss of our midfield enforcer. We also need to hope the referees involved can at least try and be on their game. Big week — we need to dig deep.
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