Chelsea vs WBA - Match Thread

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · 08-12-2016, 20:21

Jeff Astle scores at the Shed End, Stamford Bridge, 1st March 1969

Everything seems to be going suspiciously smoothly on Planet Albion at the moment, which is usually the cue for the universe to drop some serious bother on our heads. It's certainly going to be doing its best over the next fortnight or so, as the schedule gives us four fixtures in fairly quick succession: three of them against the big boys and the other against struggling Swansea, who are probably due a run of form. So, plenty of Christmas cheer in the offing there.

To begin with, we visit Stamford Bridge at midday on Sunday, and we can all have a pretty good guess at what The Plan will be. The question, as always against the elite sides, is whether it will work for us or whether it'll all come apart after twenty minutes and leave us to spend the remainder of the match complaining about it. The real ray of hope is that we've got some in-form players up our sleeve in the likes of Phillips, and hopefully Nacer Chadli may be able and willing to make an impact again. At the moment Chelsea are looking like champions-elect, and seem capable of winning at a canter, but all it takes to bring them to a halt is one spanner in the works.

Here's hoping that this Sunday, we can prove ourselves a real bunch of spanners.

HRK · 08-12-2016, 22:14

Anyone else on here making the trip on Sunday?

I've got to say I'm a lot more optimistic now about this game than I was when considering it on the journey back from Anfield.

We could have taken some points that day if we'd had more of a go imo - the pressure is more so on Chelsea to perform on Sunday and that plays into our hands if we can contain them early on and grow into the game. We were more under pressure for points at Liverpool but our current run means anything at Chelsea is a bonus really. It's not really make or break on how the game goes.

The only downside I've seen so far is Mike Dean is the ref for this one. We never seem to get the rub of the green with him imo.

aries22 · (This post was last modified: 09-12-2016, 18:11 by Ska'dForLife-WBA.)

Great photo as usual, Ska. I was at this game, an FA Cup match, hence Chelsea wearing a change strip. The game after this, the semi final against Leicester at Hillsborough, was a real let down.
This Sunday, we have nothing to lose but our positive goal difference, and everything to gain. I'm sure we'll concede but, if we can create and take our chances, who knows.

BBB · 09-12-2016, 19:51

Is that Ramsey in the photo?

betterthanbaird · 09-12-2016, 22:42

Get Phillips running at Victor Moses and I can see us carrying a decent attacking threat. Really hard to see us keeping out that Chelsea attack tho. Anything is a bonus from this one.

BaggieMan · 10-12-2016, 01:34

(09-12-2016, 14:45)aries22 Wrote: Great photo as usual, Ska. I was at this game, an FA Cup match, hence Chelsea wearing a change strip. The game after this, the semi final against Leicester at Hillsborough, was a real let down.
This Sunday, we have nothing to lose but our positive goal difference, and everything to gain. I'm sure we'll concede but, if we can create and take our chances, who knows.

Aries me ode mucka.... I thought it was you in the photo standing by 'O' in the advertising boards blowing yum conk! You've not changed one bit!

Laugh

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · (This post was last modified: 10-12-2016, 02:14 by Ska'dForLife-WBA.)

I think what I like best about that photo is the faces at the open window, centre-top of the picture. I expect corporate hospitality at Stamford Bridge has come along a bit since then, eh?

aries22 · (This post was last modified: 10-12-2016, 12:47 by aries22.)

(09-12-2016, 19:51)BBB Wrote: Is that Ramsey in the photo?

I presume you mean the guy on the touchline in the tracksuit? Ramsey was still England manager then, and I don't think he was ever associated with Chelsea anyway.

(10-12-2016, 02:14)Ska Wrote: I think what I like best about that photo is the faces at the open window, centre-top of the picture. I expect corporate hospitality at Stamford Bridge has come along a bit since then, eh?

I was wondering if they were TV or radio commentators. The whole ground was a tumbledown shambles, as most grounds were back then.

(10 hours ago)The BaggieMan Wrote:
Aries me ode mucka.... I thought it was you in the photo standing by 'O' in the advertising boards blowing yum conk! You've not changed one bit!
Laugh

Baggie Man, yam just being saft now. See the middle support in the centre of the picture? Go to the top, see the window to the left of that? There's four blokes silhouetted theer. I'm the one in the middle of the three.

BaggieMan · 11-12-2016, 09:34

How about we play the more expansive game higher up the pitch with super fast breaks through Matty and De-do-RonRon, and nick us a 0-1 as an early Christmas Box?

Stranger things have happened and we often do well at Chelsea as long as that biased, cheating fecker Andre Mariner isn't in charge. (Gave Chelski a pen for an obvious dive in 3rd min of injury time with us winning 1-2). Still makes me angry!

drewks · 11-12-2016, 12:41

Probably going to look pretty daft saying this later on, but I can see up getting something out of this game.
An optimistic 1-1 Blush