Beaker's View

Every time we start to think that Football is the most important thing in our lives something comes along to remind us that it isn't! (This was the weekend that Princess Diana died - Priesty) Anyway, here's a report:

It's back at last and the waiting is over (for three weeks at least). Back to a much improved Stamford Bridge that is starting to take shape and on completion will certainly rival any Stadium in Europe. Ticketing problems meant that I sat up in the Gods with 75 empty seats around me, you really forget just how high that stand is till you're looking down from the top of the East Stand.

The match itself was a classic exhibition of everything we all know and love about our club; brilliant in attack, maddening in defence. Thankfully though, Saturday's opposition was way too poor to make us pay for our defensive frailties.

The match kicked off predictably with Chelsea throwing everything at Southampton, and predictably we took an early lead. From where we were sitting, it didn't seem like the ball was going in and there was the characteristic "Long Second" whilst we waited for the ball to drop in from Danny Boy's precision lob. After that we looked so in control the prospects of Soton getting back into the match seem remoter than a Mongolian Sheep Station. But that was before "Big Ed" tried to launch a killer pass from inside his own 6 yard box. We can only speculate what was going through our giant 'keeper's mind as he dawdled on the ball but my guess is he was thinking "God, this game is going to be a little dull unless I liven things up a bit". Next thing you know we're 1-1 and Soton have everything to play for.

However, no sooner had the Saints finished congratulating themselves on their good fortune when they were hit with 3 goals in quick succession which effectively killed the game off as a contest and signaled the end of the interest for a lot of our players. From the now traditional Wise/Zola short corner routine, Gus Poyet directed a header goalwards which was cleared off the line only for Beefy to head in the rebound from 1 yard out. A couple of minutes later, after the Saints once again needlessly conceded possession, Le Saux delivered a cross that anyone would have scored from, and when you saw who was going to be on the end of it we were already celebrating, even before the ball had crossed the line. Hughes 3-1. At this point Southampton were running round like headless Chickens and the score could have been anything. No surprise when Zola skipped passed 3 players and slipped the ball to Wise (though it turned out that it was a Soton tackle that slipped the ball the result would have been the same anyway) who passed the ball into an empty net. 4-1.

Southampton looked no better in the opening period of the second half, and a double substitution was made that seemed to generate some life in a very poor side. The ball was hoofed Wimbledon style again and again over the top of defense and, IMO, our two best defenders, Doobs and Beefy, seemed to have trouble coping; despite numerous perfectly timed challenges from Beefy, we all sensed - Gullit included - that a second Saints goal was coming and it duly arrived courtesy of Kenny Monkou. He seemed to brush off Doobs' challenge to score a fortuitous goal off a rebound. However we still looked in control, with great chances missed by Hughes (why didn't he take it on?) and Gus Poyet hitting the post.

Then came a couple of incidents that I really couldn't understand. Soton, once again conceded possession, and as we all looked as play continued down the field, an off the ball skirmish started which led to Sinclair being sent off. The TV pictures show us that Williams is either a total wimp or was play acting. Then came the incident which should have seen someone sent off. Doobs broke from defense and beat 3 players before charging towards the box. Clean through, a Southampton defender had no option but to haul him down. Red card surely ref? not a bit of it. I think he got yellow but it was a scandalous decision.

All in all it was an enjoyable match, though we can't really make any meaningful judgments until October after we have played teams of a better standard than this rabble. It says a lot about Southampton that Benali was one of their outstanding players. Benali is the worst player in the premiership and any side in which he looks good is doomed! Mark my words.

Scores:

• De Goey: 6 not much to do. really only two saves to make and failed with one of them. Looked good under crosses.
• Doobs: 7 probably needs a few matches
• Beefy: 7 Looked great going forward (As did Doobs)
• Sinclair: 7 Right back is definitely his position. Unlucky with the sending off IMO
• Le Saux: 8 Looked very good and crossed well, though all that dead ball practice he does seemed to count for nothing.
• Petrescu: 8.5 Great goal, look a real threat all afternoon and some of his passing was excellent.
• Poyet: 8 Excellent game, going to be a great player for us.
• Wise: 9 Playing the best football of his life at the moment.
• Hughes: 7.5 despite his goal had a quiet game
• Zola: 7.5 couple of nice tricks but a quiet game overall. Didn't see much of the ball.
• Vialli and Clarke: 6.5 No time to make real impression.

Overall 8. Brilliant in patches, poor in patches, a patchy performance.

All overshadowed by events later in the evening.

"A game of two halves, Brian" (Priesty's View)

If ever the old cliché could be used to describe a game, this one would be it.

First, an unfortunate incident:

For me and my mate Marc, things started well. We had a couple of beers at my house, met up with some people in the Legless Ladder and had a couple more, then strolled down to the ground in the sunshine ready for the first home match of the season.

As we walked up to the new entrance to the Shed stand a police "officer" approached us and stopped Marc. I thought it was the usual pat down for weapons and waited for Marc to come over. As he talked to the copper his face told me that there was more to it than that, so I went over. Just in time to hear the copper say: "I'm not happy to let you into the ground, as I can tell you've been drinking." We were gobsmacked, as we'd done absolutely nothing to draw attention to ourselves apart from wearing really bad shorts and committing the heinous crime of looking happy. We weren't chanting or shouting, nothing.

To cut a long and inevitable story short, this jumped up little fascist decided that Marc was "not safe" to let into the ground, and wasn't going to change his mind whatever we did or said. This is a worrying development, as it doesn't take much thought to realise the implications - when we tried to argue our point we were threatened with a life ban from the ground. The fact that Marc has very short hair and was wearing cut-down camouflage trousers probably had more to do with it. Next they'll be measuring people's noses before they let them in and will have a cattle truck waiting round the back.

OK, sour grapes you might say, but if the police used the same criteria for preventing people from watching a football match on everyone, i.e. that they had been drinking or their clothes looked suspicious, football in this country would die overnight. Another example of the contempt in which clubs and police hold football fans. Imagine if they treated MPs trying to enter the House of Commons or opera-goers like that, there'd be a Public Enquiry, Heads Would Roll, curt letters would be fired off to The Times, etc. But this is football, therefore we're scum who can be safely stitched up with no chance of any backlash... Be warned.

Turning to the match, which of course I had to watch on my own, the first thing was that I'd managed to procure tickets to the upper tier of the new Shed south stand, it's very similar to the MH stand, if a little smaller. You're at roughly the same height as the back of the old Shed, only a lot closer.

The ground looks great now, with three sides finished. When the West stand is done, Stamford Bridge will be the best ground in the country, no doubt about it. It's a pity they won't be able to get more than 40-odd thousand people in there, though. We've got a long way to go to catch up with the likes of Barcelona.

Because of the shenanigans with the gestapo at the gate, I missed the parading of the Cup, etc., so I can't tell you about that, but I was just in time for the kick-off.

It was really good to see Doobs back, he mainly looked like he'd never been away. The same could probably be said about Le Saux, except he's toughened up more. The team looked confident without being spectacular - I wouldn't be fooled by the scoreline if I were you, it seemed to me that Southampton gave Chelsea too much room in the first half hour, and paid for it. Petrescu's goal was stunning, there wasn't much they could do about that, Leboeuf's owed more to luck than anything, Hughesie scored a typical bullet header from a great ball from Le Saux, and Den's goal was down to Zola mesmerising three defenders. The point was that you couldn't have seen, say the Arse's or Moan U's defences letting those goals past.

That said, you wouldn't believe Southampton's first goal. The only thing you could say in Ed De Goey's defence is that his English isn't very good. How else do you explain the fact that he completely ignored 30,008 fans and 10 players who were all screaming "MAN ON!" as he dribbled the ball around on the goal line. It was bloody music hall stuff, unbelievable. (For those who don't already know, De Goey got a back pass and spent so long clearing the ball that Southampton's Davies was able to creep up on him from 20 yards away and slide tackle the ball into the goal off De Goey's stupid foot)

Apart from that, Chelsea looked pretty comfortable in the first half, and looked like they had the game sown up before half time, which, as all Chelsea fans will know, is incredibly worrying.

Needless to say, the boys didn't let us down, and were absolutely, terrifyingly, stunningly awful in the second half. Either that or Southampton decided that they could play, which, as all Southampton fans will know, is unlikely. Ken Monkou wrote a letter to his defenders that said "I'll run the length of the pitch unmarked, and you punt the ball over the top for me to score". Letter received, intercepted only by every single fucker in the Shed stand, who were all yelling "Oi, Sinclair, watch Monkou". The awful inevitability of it was what got me.

Poor Frank Sinclair. (How many times have I used that word to describe him ?) As far as I could see, he was playing as an attacking midfielder in the first half, although it was obvious that Le Saux, Duberry and Leboeuf thought he was on the right of the back four, judging by the stick they were giving him. I thought he looked very dangerous when he was attacking, unfortunately he looked just as dangerous when defending, so he sort of cancelled himself out a bit. If you wanted to be harsh, you could probably blame Frankie for Monkou's goal (I know the other three did).

He did not, on the other hand, deserve to be sent off, that was obvious even at the time, and I've since seen the incident on the TV, and haven't changed my mind. What it was, however, was the most blatant gamesmanship, or dare I say cheating, that I've seen in some time. The Southampton player Andy Williams and Frankie were scuffling around so much that they forgot that the ball had gone elsewhere, Williams grabbed enough of Frankie's shirt to make a new one, then barged into Frankie, who naturally pushed him away with his forearm.

Of course, Williams goes down clutching his face, and what really clinched it was that the incident happened right in front of the Southampton rabble. They all screamed like stuck pigs, you could actually see the linesman flinch. Guess who the ref asked for an opinion ? Yes, the linesman. Off goes Frankie, down to a blatant bit of what they call "gamesmanship", and what I'll call CHEATING.

How Chelsea players could shake the hands of the Southampton players at the end I'll never know. The TV replay clearly shows that no part of Frank's anatomy made contact with Williams' face. I don't really blame the linesman. After all, he had to run the touchline in front of the Southampton lot for the rest of the game. You can't expect any integrity or courage with that crew behind you.

Particularly worthy of mention:

• Dan Petrescu - magnificent, always looked dangerous
• Graeme Le Saux - showed flashes of brilliance, good cross for Hughesie's goal
• La la Zola - great in patches, reputed to be carrying an injury, got subbed.
• Luca - came on as sub and worked hard
• Gus Poyet - showed the signs of a great player
• Doobs - solid as a rock, great in the air
• Den - some nice touches in midfield, his obvious pleasure when he scored was great to see
• Hughesie - solid as ever