Bleacher Report - Articles by Asher Kenton

My Nomination for Manager of the Season? Gianfranco Zola!

Asher Kenton — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:28:34 -0400

A few months ago, namely on the 11th of September 2008, Gianfranco Zola was revealed as the new manager of West Ham United. He was faced with an uphill task as the club were in a perilous position in the Premiership and their squad looked out of balance after selling important players such as Anton Ferdinand. They were in dire need of an uplifting spirit.

Furthermore, shortly after his appointment, it was revealed that Chairman Björgólfur Guðmundsson had lost much of his fortune in the collapse of Icelandic banks, and as a result the club would have to sell further players just to keep afloat. Notably in the January transfer window Craig Bellamy was sold to Manchester City.

Zola turned out to be just what West Ham needed. At the beginning of his reign, Zola made quiet but assured progress with his Hammers side.

They have continued to quietly improve, and despite not making many back pages with their form have now risen to a 7th place which usually would seem more than respectable, but in the situation seems near miraculous. They even have an outside chance of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Zola has taken a club that was in deep trouble and could have easily joined the "fallen giants" club along with Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Charlton etc.

Furthermore, Zola has turned around the career of Carlton Cole, resulting in an (albeit short) England call-up; quite a turnaround for a striker who seemed destined to obscurity after a bright start to his career.

Zola, along with his assistant Steve Clarke, have literally been lifesavers for West Ham United, and that is why Gianfranco Zola gets my nomination for Manager of the Season 2008-09.

The Damage Luiz Felipe Scolari Has Done to Chelsea FC Will Take Years To Repair

Asher Kenton — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:44:01 -0500

Today, Chelsea Football Club announced the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari as their manager. It was a decision which seemingly could not have come soon enough for a club clearly in crisis.

The solid foundations that Chelsea have set in the last few years, resulting in two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup, and a Champions League Final appearance, have now virtually disintegrated.

These foundations consist largely of three factors, all of which have been shattered under Scolari.

First is the home advantage. Stamford Bridge has been a fortress for years at Chelsea; every team in the league was afraid of going there. Now, however, not only is the huge unbeaten record long gone, but Chelsea have lost to Liverpool, Burnley, and Arsenal at home and have altogether dropped 16 points this season at Stamford Bridge.

Home advantage is truly gone.

Second is the defensive solidarity which was a huge part of Jose Mourinho's and, to a lesser extent, Avram Grant's success.

It wasn't long ago that Chelsea had by far the best defence in the league, and despite only small personality changes, the defence seems frail, and downright weak in comparison to the solidarity previously instilled. Defensive stability—gone.

Finally, the ability to graft out close victories is missing. Mourinho was famous for winning 1-0 at Chelsea against the smaller teams. Nowadays, these sorts of tricky games usually end up 0-0 or 1-1.

Even when down 1-0, Avram Grant made changes and won 2-1, notably against Arsenal and Manchester United in crucial games last season. Resilience to win ugly—gone.

Whoever takes over the Chelsea post needs to be someone who is strong, able to control the egos of the players, and ultimately able to completely rebuild this club's crumbling foundations.

Referees Will Not Let Chelsea Win The League

Asher Kenton — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:27:49 -0500

For a long time, I have had qualms about referee's differential treatment of Chelsea players, but for the most part, I have admitted that some decisions go for the club, and some go against.

However, this season, refereeing decisions have cost us the title, without question. Firstly, I will draw you to an incident at Stamford Bridge against Arsenal, Chelsea were 1-0 up and looking comfortable, up steps Robin Van Persie, and thanks to an atrocious linesman decision, the game is turned on its head, and rather than gain 3 points, Chelsea come away with nothing.

Next, I point to a game, recently, against Everton, John Terry overstretches and catches an Everton player late. This time, the decision was debatable, but once again Chelsea do not get the decision going in their favour. This meant that Terry was suspended for three games, during which Chelsea dropped points against Fulham by conceding goals from set pieces, that Terry normally cuts out himself with ease.

Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo (against Tottenham) and Rooney (In Europe) carry out unexplainable acts of stamping on another player, but both receive no punishment whatsoever, even when the decisions were reviewed.

Then, of course leads me to the game today, against Liverpool. The game is in the balance, Liverpool, slightly more aggressive, as you would expect with home advantage.

Gerrard comes in late and makes a strong tackle, he protests when a free-kick is given against him, but the punishment ends there. Minutes later, Frank Lampard comes in with a similarly strong challenge, but wins the ball outright, Alonso follows up, and if anything fouls Lampard. A 50/50 challenge which, if given against any other team in the league, would have resulted in a ticking off, perhaps a booking and a warning. Yet, as its Chelsea, the red card comes out.

The moment that the challenge was made, I knew it was a sending off, not because it merited it, but simply because a Chelsea player had decided to make a forceful tackle. Lo and behold, the game swings directly in Liverpool's favour, and they win 2-0.

Although, I have long believed that decisions balance each other out during a season, the unprecedented discrimination against Chelsea is simply out of order. Call this a rant if you will, but I expect a full apology from the FA upon reviewing the decision, and a rescinding of Lampard's suspension, nevertheless it wont make up for the a seaon's poor decisions; which have effectively ended Chelsea's title challenge.

I'm sure that most people will point out, the poor decision to give Chelsea a penalty at Anfield last year, and say that justice was done. however, if you look to the past, then how about the Champions League Semi-final goal that never crossed the line, or the other Champions League goal, where the Chelsea defender was unfairly blocked off, before Daniel Agger thundered the ball into the goal.

Simply, in those three incidents, picked out, Chelsea would have probably taken about 7 points, drawing against Liverpool and beating Arsenal and Everton, which would put Chelsea top of the league. In the future, they will have make sure they win the league by at least 7 points, to counter the refereeing bias.

As Mourinho candidly put it, when Chelsea lose it will probably be a national holiday, such is the nation's united disdain for the club. This will no doubt affect the referee's who are secretly rewarded by the country's football fans. This is epitomised by when a Burnley fan throws a coin at Drogba, potentially causing blindness, he goes off scot free, but when it is thrown back, a three-match ban ensues.

Even if, the decisions were not at all a result of bias, referee's clearly need support from replays, and more officials to view the actions. Furthermore, these red card decisions were given almost instantly, with no consultation of the assistant referees, who may have had a better view.

A little more consideration, and control of a rush of blood to the head, must be ensured; and punishment issued. Mike Reily should not be allowed to referee a Premier Leauge game for a significant number of months.

Salomon Kalou Can Turn Chelsea's Season Around

Asher Kenton — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:39:54 -0500

As most followers of Chelsea have noticed this season, the team are lacking a quick striker who can take on players and score goals.

On the basis of current form, I offer the prospect of Salomon Kalou to fill just this gap.

Long since disregarded as being a key player at Chelsea due to largely lacklustre performances, Kalou seems to have sprung into life, getting a brace against Boro and terrorising defenders against Stoke.

He has an uncanny knack of getting in the right place in the right time, even if he may only score about one in two. However, just about this time last season he went on a hot streak and more or less kept Chelsea in the title race, attaining seven crucial goals during the season. In fact, when the African Cup of Nations started last January, it wasn't Drogba we were to miss most, but the on form Kalou.

The only question is inconsistency, as he may decide not to turn up on the crucial game at Liverpool on Sunday. However, maybe, just maybe, he can provide the third dimension Chelsea so desperately need with Joe Cole injured. Only time will tell if he can sustain a good run of form.

He's hardly world class, but Salomon Kalou might yet play a big part in Chelsea's season.

Crossroads for Abramovich: Sell or Invest?!

Asher Kenton — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:20:52 -0500

This morning The Sunday Times published an article claiming that Roman Abramovich is ready to sell his stake in Chelsea Football Club; Abramovich has denied this vigorously and has begun legal action to sue The Times.

However, Abramovich’s recent reluctance to invest further into a club he has already poured hundreds of millions of pounds into, begs the questions; why does he still own Chelsea? Is he still interested in the club? And if so why can’t he see that Chelsea need to spend further to keep up with their rivals?

Abramovich has suffered badly during the global economic crisis. Despite still being estimated at having a net wealth in the billions his companies are struggling in Russia, and he has lost much of his fortune.

Contrastingly, the new owners of Man City seem to have millions of pounds burning a hole in their pockets. No doubt, with the huge improvements Abramovich has made to Chelsea’s reputation and success, he would be able to sell the club for far more than the £150 million he bought it for.

The crucial factor is that Abramovich and the Chelsea hierarchy have refused to invest into buying the extra one or two players that could turn Chelsea from a very good team into a team of real world beaters. Last August, a deal could have been done for Robinho weeks before the September deadline, but the refusal to up the bid by less than £5m allowed Man City to snatch him away at the last moment.

It is so clear to any Chelsea fan, or anyone who has watched Chelsea this season, that they are in desperate need of a quick, young striker, especially now with Joe Cole—the only player who seems to be able to open up games for Chelsea—out injured for the rest of the season.

Despite form that can simply be described as mediocre, with Chelsea consistently failing to have a plan B in order to break teams down, Chelsea have denied all rumours of them buying any players in January. Furthermore, Chelsea have sold attacking players such as Shevchenko, Pizzaro, Wright-Phillips, and Arjen Robben, but have bought only the distinctly average Florent Malouda to replace them.

Please, don’t sue me Mr. Abramovich, I don’t know whether you want to sell Chelsea or not, however, the matter deserves long and hard consideration. Based on the success he has brought, I for one, as an avid Chelsea fan, would certainly look at proceeding with extreme caution with regards to the future of this great club.

Chelsea Miss Their Key Man: Claude Makelele

Asher Kenton — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:30:08 -0500

Every great team requires a certain balance of players. It needs solid defenders, players who can pick a pass, someone who can get past players with pace, and someone to score goals.

However, the teams that have achieved most success in the world of football also have someone who can glue all these parts together to turn a great club into a great team.

Ronaldo commented back in 2003, when Real Madrid won La Liga, that of all the superstars in their team; the likes of Figo, Zidane and Raul, the most important player was one Cladue Makélélé.

Despite also helping Madrid to a Champions League win the year before, Chelsea took the chance to sign the well established midfielder.

Under Ranieri, Makélélé was played in a 4-4-2, but struggled to make a real impact; however, when Mourinho took over, he employed a 4-3-3/4-5-1 tactic Makélélé as his holding midfielder to allow Essien and Lampard to push forward more effectively, knowing that his back four was given sufficient cover.

Mourinho produced Chelsea's first League Tittle in 50 years and helped them win it back to back, adding a League Cup and an FA Cup.

Many football critics have since held Makélélé as the key to Chelsea's success. His experienced defending, and simple passing seemed to give the start for Chelsea's attacking moves, and it is impossible to doubt his effectiveness against the worlds top attacking players.

Not so long ago, Chelsea seemed almost unbeatable, Petr Cech kept a record of clean sheets in a row, by some margin and success seemed inevitable.

Even under Grant, despite not winning the Champions League last year, a 35-year-old Makélélé started the game, implying his importance to the club. He has even become synonymous with the defensive midfielder role, often referred to as the "Makélélé role".

Since he has left last summer to join Paris Saint Germain, despite having more adventurous attacking play, Chelsea look vulnerable at the back, especially in defense. Perhaps due to Carvalho's sustained absence, perhaps due to Essien's injury, but largely because they don't have a world class defender in the midfield.

The highly rated John Mikel Obi has been forced to step into Makélélé's shoes, which on the whole, he has done surprisingly well;s however, he is just 21, and plays naively, giving away needless fouls in dangerous areas.

Ultimately, Chelsea's so far disappointing season can be put down to a number of factors, Drogba's absence, missing out on Robinho and Essien also being injured, along with lots of more minor injuries, however, the role that Makélélé played in this Chelsea side cannot be disputed, and they do have a gap in the team, which needs filling for Chelsea to once again assert some dominance in the domestic game.

Robinho Is Precisely The Type of Player I DON'T Want at Chelsea!

Asher Kenton — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:18:09 -0400

Being a Chelsea fan, I now know to some extent how other clubs felt, when Chelsea proceeded to buy some of the biggest players in the world.

My first reaction to Manchester City prizing Robinho away from the Blues was fury.

At Real Madrid, for messing Chelsea around and generally acting in a snide way so as to keep Robinho away from their European rivals. And at Man City, for coming in at the last minute and stealing away the player who was supposed to complete our squad.

However, I've had some time to think about the situation, and have come to a rather different conclusion. Throughout the summer, Robinho desperately wanted to come to Chelsea, apparently because he wanted to be reunited with his beloved former Brazil manager, Luis Felipe Scolari.

He moaned and whinged, and did everything in his power to leave a club where he was largely considered a first team regular. He only stopped just short of comparing his situation to modern slavery.

This so-called love for Chelsea and urge to join them went completely out of the window as soon as the first other club came knocking for him. At the end of the day, he wanted to further his career wherever that may be.

This has just been echoed by Scolari, who has suggested that Robinho only joined Manchester City because of the money, and that his advisors where perhaps never serious about him joining Chelsea.

A good player he may be, but exactly the type of player that could upset any dressing room. Certainly not someone I want in my footballing family. I mean, Chelsea already have enough moaners in the squad (think Anelka, Drogba).

Chelsea may have missed out on their first choice summer signing, but a real blessing in disguise this may be, as their are plenty of other world class strikers.

Besides, Abramovich's next move will be more than interesting—how will he attempt to compete with Man City, who have already got one over on him?

Will Arsenal and Liverpool Become the Next Top Clubs to Bite the Dust?

Asher Kenton — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:20:55 -0400

The world of football is a curious place. Clubs are forever establishing themselves as the top trump, and most fall off their perch sooner or later.

Just think of the mighty, Europe-conquering Nottingham Forest, who are now fighting for a place in the second tier of English football. Other clubs have had briefer spells near the dominant end of British and European football; think Leeds, Newcastle, Blackburn, etc.

Liverpool no longer have the dominance they had twenty or so years ago; despite recent success in Europe, they have been inconsistent in England. Not helped by severe financial uncertainties, at that.

Arsenal, meanwhile, look unable to compete with the spending power of Man. United and Chelsea, and appear to be slipping off the pace, as top players such as Aleksandr Hleb and Gilberto Silva are replaced with the inexperience of someone such as Samir Nasri or no one at all.

On Sept. 1, Manchester City were taken over by a consortium of multi-billionaires, the likes of which Roman Abramovich will have, and has already had, trouble to compete with. This could herald in a new generation of football, in which big money is essential; times are well and truly changing.

Especially with the new owners declaring their interest in seemingly all of the best players in the world—including David Villa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas, and the last-minute snatching of Robinho away from Chelsea—they clearly mean business.

So where does this leave two of the most prominent teams of the last couple of decades?

For years, they have been described as two of the "top four" teams. If Man. City overtake them, that leaves either Liverpool or Arsenal out of the Champions League, leading to huge financial deficits. Moreover, with UEFA pushing to reduce The Premiership's Champions' League spots to three, both teams could miss out, if they are not careful, and fall into mediocrity.

Of course, this is football, and probably sooner or later one of these teams will be bought out by an even richer multi-millionaire. In which case, no-one can predict anything that will happen in football, other than fees becoming more inflated and money talking even louder than ever.

The only thing I hope is that the game remains entertaining and doesn't lose the relevance that it might. Oh, and my team to win the quadrouple...obviously.

The future of Chelsea's success?

Asher Kenton — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:28:16 -0400

When Roman Abramovich took over the reins of Chelsea Football Club in the summer of 2003, most people predicted that it would be a short-lived, if successful era in the Chelsea history.

Since then it has certainly been successful, despite trophy less seasons under Claudio Ranieri and last season under Avram Grant, José Mourinho provided the club's first two Premier League titles since 1955, along with The FA Cup and the Carling Cup. And, despite plenty of controversy, and Roman Abramovich failing to attend many important games at the tail end last season, so far there has been little mention of the Abramovich era coming to an end.

What is worrying however; is the direction that Chelsea appear to be moving towards. The noted best players in the world today appear to be getting younger (the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Torres etc.) compared to a few years ago when the golden oldies of Zidane, Ronaldo and Inzaghi reined supreme.

Meanwhile, an almost all over-30, World Cup winning Italian side slumped to a penalty shoot-out loss to Spain in the quarter finals of Euro 2008.

Despite the recent trend towards youth, consistently shown by Arsene Wenger's ability to buy talented youngsters, and despite the expensive and illegal recruitment of Head Scout Frank Arnesen from rivals Spurs, Chelsea's squad appears to be getting older. A natural sequence of events one may feel, however it has left the squad beleaguered and in desperate need of energetic young attackers who can run at opponents.

The injury-prone but vibrant winger Arjen Robben left the then champions 12 months ago, leaving Joe Cole to do his best to open up teams on his own, while Robben's replacement, the useless Florent Malouda struggled to make any impact whatsoever and Shaun Wright-Phillips impatiently warmed the bench.

The first team squad can now almost entirely be made up of aging players, bar Michael Essien and Petr Cech and perhaps John Terry, the likes of Drogba (30), Ballack (30), Lampard (30), Makelele (35), Carvalho (31) are the core of the team.

The squad however clearly does not lack creative midfielders who can make a pass from the middle of the park; Ballack, Essien, Lampard and Makelele fought for competition last year, but who is Scolari's first signing? The 30 year old creative central midfielder Deco.

Not many people would argue that there wasn’t a huge difference between Manchester United and Chelsea last season, and yet, Chelsea had their worst season for three years, missing out on three trophies, while it was the second greatest in United history, netting the Champions League and Premier League double.

Perhaps the only difference between the sides was the energy, youthfulness, and downright brilliance of 23 year old Cristiano Ronaldo, now rated as the best player in the world. Even Spurs have got the idea of bringing in the best youth players despite having their youth director Arnesen headhunted.

They have signed Aaron Lennon, Giovani Dos Santos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, all younger than most of Chelsea’s reserve team players. Is Spurs’ surprising and impressive run against the Blues’ last season, including a famous Carling Cup victory a coincidence?

This all begs the question why? Are the senior staff at Chelsea just unaware of these trends or feel that experience is most vital over youth? Perhaps, but what is most worrying, is that as a Chelsea fan it feels that all of Chelsea’s targets are directed at the short term.

It feels like rather than assert Chelsea as a global force in European and World football for the years to come; the club are intent on winning as many trophies as possible now. This may explain the sacking of the quietly impressive but unlucky Avram Grant, rather than letting him build a squad for the future.

A squad which he had almost entirely inherited from Mourinho. For all we know, John Terry’s slip at the vital moment (and the width of a post) in what seemed to be the most important game of the club’s history may have been a blessing in disguise which would have saved Chelsea.

Would Abramovich still be interested in a club that had won everything within reach in just three years?

So, despite Peter Kenyon’s continuing implorations that Roman is here to stay and that he has invested love, not just money into Chelsea, we cannot be certain that the “Golden Period” of Chelsea’s history will last in the long term.

My advice to Chelsea fans is simply to enjoy it while it lasts. And if it doesn’t; NEVER to desert the Football Club that welcomed the glory-hunters and new fans as openly as those whose ancestors have followed the Club for decades.