Ranieri ready for Seasiders

Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri vowed to ruin Scarborough’s FA Cup fourth round “party” as he insisted that the Blues would be ready for a “big battle” against the non-League side.

Chelsea set up an enticing encounter at Scarborough with their 4-0 replay win against Watford at Stamford Bridge last night.

And the non-League side can be assured of facing a strong Blues line-up, with Ranieri taking the FA Cup seriously as he searches for the first trophy of his Stamford Bridge reign.

“For us, it is important to go forward in the FA Cup,” he declared.

“I am happy to go to Scarborough because the FA Cup is wonderful for this reason. I’m sure there will be a big party there but, on the pitch, it will be a big battle. That’s for sure.

“I’ve never been there before. I know that it’s nice, with a nice beach. I am used to warmer places but maybe that is the type of weather for John Terry and Frank Lampard!”

While Ranieri’s jocular aside may not exactly endear him to the Scarborough tourism bureau, the Conference side will at least relish the financial windfall of their televised fourth round tie.

Watford boss Ray Lewington nevertheless spelled out just how tough a task is now facing them.

“Maybe they should try and sneak a couple of extra players onto the pitch or hijack the coach on the way up!” he observed with a wry smile.

“They’ve certainly got a mammoth task. To beat Chelsea, you’ve got to be at your very best or have a major slice of luck.

“We showed from the first game that they can be unsettled. It’s not impossible.

“But if you go behind to these type of sides, they keep the ball so well and that’s the difference. In the last quarter of an hour, they pick you off, just as they did to Leicester last weekend.”

Scarborough’s only hope would appear to be to attempt to prosper from Chelsea’s occasional vulnerability to crosses and set-pieces.

This was exploited by Watford to the full in their original 2-2 draw but with Heidar Helguson ruled out of the replay due to injury, Chelsea’s defence was never seriously tested.

“We miss Helguson a great deal. He’s the only one at the club with aerial power, which unsettled Chelsea in the first game,” added Lewington.

Watford never recovered from going behind after just seven minutes when referee Alan Wiley made amends for allowing them a controversial goal in the first game.

This time around, even though Adrian Mutu was flagged offside, Wiley correctly ruled that the ball had been played to the Romanian international by Neal Ardley.

When Jamie Hand then struck the post with Watford’s best chance, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink made them pay with a strike of consummate class.

Indeed, with Mutu scoring again, while Eidur Gudjohnsen added a late fourth from a pass by the returning Damien Duff, Chelsea’s strikers delivered an eloquent message to Roman Abramovich.

This week alone, Chelsea have been linked with interest in Louis Saha, Christian Vieri and David Trezeguet.

Ranieri insisted: “It was important for the strikers to score because goals are like oxygen to them. When they score, they are happy and the manager is happy.”

Although Chelsea are said to have made an inquiry about Fulham striker Saha, Ranieri was quick to dismiss reports linking them with a renewed bid to sign Vieri.

“I don’t know how many Italian journalists have called me to tell me that Vieri is coming,” he said.

“Oh yes, I told them, I’m going to the station to pick him up! But it’s not true. You know me well, you know I don’t answer these questions.

“I have no comment to make about new players, I want to work with these players. I want to build the group, that is very important for me now.”