Up and Down the Aging Staircase

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Chelsea disposed Brentford in the F.A. Cup and will go on to the quarterfinals. Brentford gave it their all and held Chelsea to a scoreless draw in the first forty-five minutes. In the second half, Juan Mata opened the scoring and then came the floodgates. Chelsea triumphed 4-0 and since they are out of the league title and the Champion’s League, the F.A. Cup might be their sole opportunity at silverware for the 2012-2013 season.

Chelsea has had a puzzling year. They began the season like gangbusters, and looked poised to be a serious contender for the title race. Then under Di Matteo, Chelsea went into a slump that caused the firing of Di Matteo.

His replacement, Rafael Benitez, who will, unlikely, be the permanent manager, if there is such a thing at Chelsea, has been struggling to find the right mix, the right chemistry on the field. Chelsea has a challenging mix of the old and the new. John Terry, their central defender, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard have entered their third decade and that is a precarious age for ball players. Their star striker for the previous year, Didier Drogba turned 34 and had to seek his soccer fortunes elsewhere, initially in China and now at Galatasaray, Turkey. Ashley Cole, still a starter at left back for England, was only given a one year extension on his contract. John Terry’s future at Chelsea is still undetermined and it appeared that Frank Lampard was definitely on his way to sign with Los Angeles team in the MLS in the United States.

The Lampard situation is exceedingly curious. Lampard is still a starting member of the English team who scored the decisive goal against Brazil at Wembley a few weeks ago in a friendly. For Chelsea, his work rate is not what it used to be but he has scored decisive goals for the club since his return from an injury. Does the club treat Lampard like a wounded thoroughbred and simply put him out of his misery by sending him to the MLS? Chelsea must find a better way to blend the old with the new.

One of the reasons for the optimism at the beginning of the season was Chelsea’s richness of youth. Juan Mata, Ramires, David Luiz, Demba Ba and Mikel are all players in their prime. Victor Moses, Hazard and Oscar are playing with great potential and if that talent is realized in the near future, then Chelsea should be a powerhouse in the E.P.L. and in UEFA in the years to come. One can see the development of Oscar in his first season playing in the EPL. He will finish the last third of the season very strong. Hazard is hazardous to defenders and his improvement throughout the season is readily discernable. Moses has just returned from the Africa Cup triumphantly as his team, Nigeria, defeated Farkina Faso in the final.

It will be interesting to see how Chelsea performs for the remainder of the season. All three tiers of the team have to blend, the aging, those at peak age and those in the making. The Chelsea owner is busy searching for a new manager. Obviously, Rafael Benitez is a mere interim manager but the new manager will have to blend the assortment of talents. Failure for the owner, Abramovic is not an option but whoever is chosen will have an uphill task synchronizing the abundance of talent that has been assembled at Chelsea.

Separating the Sheep from the Goats

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Teams playing in the Championship European League were forced to do double duty this week. There is a lot of money generated in Championship League football but the grind of playing two games in a couple of days must take a toll on players in terms of injuries, fatigue and mental exhaustion. But in today’s world, professional sports is all about money.

Manchester United vs Liverpool

Liverpool remains in the relegation zone. They lost 2-1 to Manchester United. Before mid-field player, Shelvey was sent off for a dangerous tackle involving Johnny Evans, Liverpool was in control of the game. They were playing Rodger’s style of football but did not count on the referee issuing a red card in the 40th minute and a penalty, which broke a tie game in the second half. The officiating spoiled the exciting encounter and gave Sir Alex’s team three points they did not deserve.

Chelsea vs Stokes

Stokes, despite playing away from home, showed true grit against their rich counterparts. They battled with Chelsea until Ashley Cole broke the impasse late in the second half.

Di Matteo made some changes to his team. Oscar started and both Mata and Hazard were included. Although the two playmakers were side by side, Chelsea experienced difficulty breaking down the stolid Stoke defense. Hazard was not himself and had to be substituted. One wonders if the rigor of playing in two leagues will not affect the play of a gifted playmaker like Hazard. The season is still young and some of the players coming over from Europe have had problems with fatigue.

Arsenal vs Manchester City

Manchester City lost a heart-breaker earlier in the week to Real Madrid. In this game, Arsenal had also defeated Montpellier earlier that week.

The Manchester City vs Arsenal was a good game. David Silva, the Manchester City’s attacking architect has not been himself. Silva played for Spain in Euro 12 and looks far from the player he was last season. Despite all the firepower up front, Manchester City is dependent on Yaya Toure’s penetrating runs and Silva’s silky moves.

Arsenal will be a contender in the EPL. Gervinho is a deft dribbler yet an inept finisher. If he can improve his kicking, that will add to the potency of the Arsenal attack. Giroud is yet to display his goal scoring prowess but Podolski and Cazorla are up to the task of the EPL and gave Arsenal a dimension that they lacked in recent years. These are forwards who are willing to kick from outside the penalty box.

The two teams played to a draw. That was a just score and even though in the past there had been red cards galore, the game was played in the proper spirit and the officiating, unlike what occurred in the Liverpool vs Manchester United, was highly professional.

Cheryl Cole voted Most Photogenic Woman Ever lol

Chelsea's Ashley cole with lovely and most photogenic woman ever Cheryl Cole.
We love you Cheryl......

Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole at 50 Cent's Dead Man Running premiere

British gangster movie 'Dead Man Running', produced by footballers Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole had its world-premiere in London starring rapper 50 Cents. Rio not only put up the big money to make this film but use this opportunity to give back.

Rio Ferdinand has helped 12 youngsters find the job of their dreams. But they aren't joining the Manchester United star on the pitch. Instead, the lucky dozen worked as runners on a new British gangster flick.

And it was all thanks to Ferdinand, who gave financial backing to Dead Man Running on condition that the crew employ the youngsters.

Showing his philanthropic side, the footballer - worth a cool £30million - clearly cares about those less fortunate than himself.

The 12, all in their teens or early 20s, were part of Ferdinand's Live The Dream Foundation, which offers education, training and job opportunities in sport and the arts.

The film stars Tamer Hassan as an ex-convict who has 24 hours to pay back a villainous loan shark, played by US rapper 50 Cent.

Ferdinand, a father-of-two who earns £120,000 a week, said: 'There are kids out there of all different races, creeds and backgrounds who are looking for a break, and that's what my foundation's about.

'I felt if I could do something positive and give young people a chance to get on the ladder, that was what I wanted to do.'

And it seems like the England defender, who grew up in Peckham and began his career with West Ham, got his wish.