Chelsea Fc Thread

Seapok · December 1, 2006

Terry handed FA charge

Chelsea captain John Terry has been charged by the Football Association with improper conduct following comments he made about referee Graham Poll.

The England defender was upset after he was sent off by Poll during Chelsea's Premiership clash with Tottenham on November 5.

Terry told Chelsea's official television channel that Poll had given conflicting reasons for the second yellow card which led to his dismissal at White Hart Lane.

"On the pitch Graham Poll said to me that it was for the barge on Hossam Ghaly where I just kept running," he told Chelsea TV at the time.

"Then after the game he said to me it was for the fall when me and Ledley King fell so, you know, he's obviously had a look at it, or got people to look at it and decided that's probably the best option for him and it covers every angle for him."

Poll denied the claims and the FA have now charged Terry on the basis that he questioned the referee's integrity.

Terry has until December 15 to answer the charges.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been reminded of his responsibilities by the FA after comments he made to the media about Poll - but no charges will be brought against the Blues boss.

Poll, meanwhile, has been cleared by the FA of saying anything inappropriate towards any Chelsea players during the game.

Seapok · December 1, 2006

Fergie blast for Drogba

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has accused Chelsea striker Didier Drogba of using an elbow against Nemanja Vidic.

Vidic needed a scan on his jaw after Drogba appeared to catch the Serbia international in the face with his arm during Sunday's 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

The former Crvena Zvezda and Spartak Moscow player did not suffer a fracture in the aerial clash, but was forced to sit out Wednesday's home win over Everton with a sore jaw.

Drogba's challenge on Vidic angered Ferguson, who was disappointed that the Ivory Coast international was not punished more severely as a result.

"We thought it may be fractured, so we sent him for a scan," Ferguson said in the Daily Star.

"He got an elbow in the jaw. Fortunately, it isn't fractured, but he is still very, very tender.

"What was a concern is that their player only got a yellow card for the use of an elbow, which could have caused serious injury."

Ferguson feels his Chelsea counterpart in Jose Mourinho aimed to score some psychological points when he stated in his post-match comments that the draw was a better result for The Blues.

"Jose fights for his club off the field as well as on it and he is never shy of trying to get in a psychological jab when he sees the opportunity," added Ferguson.

Seapok · December 2, 2006

Mourinho makes fixture moan

Jose Mourinho has joined rival boss Arsene Wenger in questioning the Premiership fixture schedule after insisting he is not happy about being given the weekend off.

Chelsea are not playing on Saturday or Sunday as Newcastle's trip to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Uefa Cup has caused a realignment in the fixture list.

Arsenal boss Wenger recently expressed his puzzlement at a system that has left The Gunners facing four games in 11 days, with the Frenchman's ire provoked by the fact that Tottenham did not play in midweek before the North London derby on Saturday.

Now Mourinho has also questioned the Premiership schedule that has seen his side been given a longer time to prepare for their UEFA Champions League meeting with Levski Sofia on Tuesday night.

Far from being happy with the situation though, the Portuguese tactician is irked by the fact that the reigning champions will now have to face The Magpies just three days after playing rivals Arsenal on 10th December.

"I would like to have a game," Mourinho told the club's official website.

"We are not guilty that Newcastle have a Uefa Cup match against Eintracht Frankfurt and I am not happy that we don't play.

"Especially because now we play against Arsenal on the Sunday and we have to play Newcastle on the Wednesday.

"Newcastle plays on the Saturday and plays us on the Wednesday so the change of fixture is because they play Uefa Cup but they are going have the advantage and play one day before us."

Mourinho also confirmed that both Ashley Cole and Claude Makelele will be rested for the game against Levski Sofia, with qualification to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League already secured.

"I played Makelele consecutively against Man United and Bolton and then I gave him four days holidays so he is not playing against Levski," Mourinho added.

"Especially with Makelele I try to give a structure to his work in a way that we can keep him for a long time at this level."

Seapok · December 3, 2006

DROGBA - YOU ALL FEAR ME

Didier Drogba has insisted the world's top defenders are running scared of him.

And the re-born Chelsea striker, who has already slammed one hat-trick past Levski Sofia this season, warned he's in the mood to do it again when the Bulgarian side visit Stamford Bridge.

Drogba, 28, has 14 goals this season and says he has improved so much that every defender he comes across is in awe of him.

The striker, who managed just 16 goals in all last season, said: "Defenders fear me because they know that just to give me a minimum advantage will finish in a goal.

"All my rivals respect me and that can only be good for Chelsea.

"Deciding to stay at Chelsea and my experience in the World Cup means that my aim is not to waste a single goal opportunity.

"I want to finish this season recognised as the best striker in the country.

"I may be playing well, but you haven't seen the best of me yet. I intend to become infallible in the penalty area."

Drogba's new confidence is a far cry from last season, when the £24million centre-forward looked to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge after attracting almost universal criticism for diving.

Now new £30m striker partner Andrei Schevchenko is under the spotlight instead, while Drogba has extended his contract with Chelsea until 2010.

The Ivory Coast star added: "I am in the best form of my life but still want to do even better for Chelsea.

"My aim is for us to win the Champions League and for me to score the most goals.

"That ambition burns very strongly because I want to forget my personal frustration of last season.

"Many times I thought about leaving, but I am a warrior, so that was impossible.

"Now I am happy to lead the Blues."

While the jury is still out on whether Shevchenko will ever make it big in the Premiership, Drogba is determined to help him click.

He said: "Andrei is the key to my success.

"Without him defenders search for me all over the field, but with him in the side I have more freedom.

"I am not the coach, but I would not leave him out.

"There is talk about other strikers arriving in January, but there are always rumours.

"Anyway, I am not concerned because I have scored goals with Crespo, Robben, Gudjohnsen, Ballack and now Shevchenko.

"One thing I am sure of — Chelsea will win the Premiership again.

"Our draw at Old Trafford last week has stopped all the euphoria there.

"Although the title race is more even this time, we will be top again."

Seapok · December 3, 2006

Chelsea host Minnows in FA 3rd Round Draw

FA Cup holders Liverpool have drawn Premiership rivals Arsenal at home in the third round next month.

Both clubs have seen their challenge for the Premiership title slip away in recent weeks, so the opportunity to claim some silverware in the cup competitions has become even more vital.

Both clubs will get a chance to warm up ahead of the tie by meeting each other in Carling Cup quarter-finals later in December, with next month's Anfield clash sure to be a well anticipated affair.

Other ties of interest to come out of Sunday's third round draw sees Premiership leaders Manchester United host Aston Villa, while Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic face each other at Fratton Park.

Everton will face a tricky home tie when they take on North West rivals Blackburn Rovers at Goodison Park.

League Two bottom club Macclesfield Town have drawn a major money-spinning tie, as Paul Ince's side will head to Stamford Bridge to face Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

A number of Premiership clubs have potentially tricky contests in round three, with bottom club Charlton Athletic facing a visit to either Conference South side Salisbury City or League One leaders Nottingham Forest, who drew on Sunday.

Premiership strugglers Watford will not want to slip up when they host Stockport County from League Two, while Bolton Wanderers face a trip to either Mansfield Town or Doncaster Rovers and their new stadium in the New Year.

Last season's finalists West Ham United will start their quest for this season's cup honours by hosting Brighton & Hove Albion from League One.

Championship high-flyers Cardiff City will fancy their chances at home to Martin Jol's Tottenham Hotspur, while Reading face a difficult tie when they host Burnley at The Madejski Stadium.

Leicester City will host Fulham at The Walkers Stadium, while Sheffield Wednesday take on Stuart Pearce's Manchester City at Hillsborough and Birmingham City host Newcastle United at St Andrews.

Conference side Tamworth's reward for reaching the third round is a home tie with Championship club Norwich City.

The FA Cup third round ties will be played the weekend of January 6 and 7, 2007.

FA Cup third round draw

Blackpool v Aldershot Town or Basingstoke Town

Barnet v Colchester United

Sheffield United v Swansea City

Reading v Burnley

Portsmouth v Wigan Athletic

Mansfield Town or Doncaster Rovers v Bolton Wanderers

West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion

Leicester City v Fulham

Derby County v Wrexham

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Oldham Athletic

Bury or Chester City v Ipswich Town

Manchester United v Aston Villa

Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City

Tamworth v Norwich City

Salisbury City or Nottingham Forest v Charlton Athletic

Cardiff City v Tottenham Hotspur

Preston North End v Sunderland

Liverpool v Arsenal

Bristol Rovers or Bournemouth v Hereford United

Watford v Stockport County

Crystal Palace v Swindon Town

Bristol City v Coventry City

Peterborough United v Plymouth Argyle

Queens Park Rangers v Luton Town

Southend United v Barnsley

West Bromwich Albion v Leeds United

Hull City v Middlesbrough

Birmingham City v Newcastle United

Torquay United or Leyton Orient v Southampton

Everton v Blackburn Rovers

Chelsea v Macclesfield Town

Stoke City v Bradford City or Millwall

Seapok · December 4, 2006

Chelsea v Levski Sofia

Champions League Group C: Chelsea v Levski Sofia

Date: Tuesday 5 December

Kick off: 1945 GMT

Venue: Stamford Bridge

Coverage: BBC Radio Five Live and this website

Team news to follow later.

SCOUTING REPORT ON THE OPPOSITION

Who are they? History-makers. Levski Sofia are the first Bulgarian team to reach the group stages of the Champions League.

Recent form: While they have not won in the Champions League yet this term, they remain unbeaten in domestic football and are two points clear at the top of the table.

European record: Last season was pretty special when they reached the last eight in the Uefa Cup. This year was supposed to be special as well, but having been pooled together with Barcelona, Chelsea and Werder Bremen they are 90 minutes from joining Slovakian side FC Kosice as the only teams never to pick up a point in the Champions League group stages. If they concede five goals they will eclipse the dubious record of conceding more goals than any other club in the group stages. Hungarian side Ferencvaros hold the current record having shipped 19 goals in the 1997/98 season.

How did they get here? The Bulgarian champions beat Sioni Bolnisi and Chievo in the qualifying rounds.

Ones to watch: In Chelsea's last Champions League match at Stamford Bridge their goalkeeping understudy Hilario took centre stage with a starring performance and this time out either Bozhidar Mitrev or Nikolay Mihaylov will be hoping to steal the spotlight at the other end with first-choice stopper Georgi Petkov out injured. Skipper Elin Topuzakov is Bulgaria's answer to John Terry and his marshalling of the defence will be crucial, while in attack, Valeri Domovchijski and Mariyan Ognyanov will be sniffing out chances for what would be only Levski's second goal of the group stages.

Did you know? It is a Levski tradition to go and watch a film at the cinema the night before a big match. Last time out, when Barcelona visited the Bulgarian capital, it was Casino Royale. Options at the Fulham Broadway screen this week - price for an adult £8.60 - include Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan, Deck The Halls and Flushed Away... or they could always hang back and go to the Tuesday matinee of Noddy Saves Christmas.

BIG MATCH STATS

Champions League (CL) - only group phase matches and beyond of this competition which began in 1992-93.

Champions Cup/Champions League - all matches played since it began in 1955-56 including qualification matches.

European matches - all matches played in the major European tournaments (Fairs Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Champions Cup, Champions League).

Uefa Super Cups, Intertoto Cups and the old Intercontinental Cup competition are excluded.

Qualification

Chelsea have already qualified for the second phase of this season's Champions League. Levski Sofia are already assured of finishing last in the group.

Head-to-heads

Levski Sofia and Chelsea have met three times before. In the 2001-02 Uefa Cup, Chelsea cruised in the first round with a 3-0 home win and a 2-0 win in Bulgaria. Chelsea won the reverse fixture in this group 1-3 through a hat-trick by Didier Drogba. Mariyan Ognyanov scored the late consolidation goal.

Levski have never beaten an English side in seven attempts, whereas Chelsea have a 100% record against Bulgarian clubs (five wins out of five).

European history

This is Chelsea's fifth CL participation. They have reached the semi-final twice in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and have reached the last 16 in each of their three previous attempts.

This was Levski Sofia's debut season in the CL. They reached the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup last season and were knocked out by Schalke 04.

Current European form

Chelsea have won their last two CL home matches without conceding a goal.

Levski have lost their first five CL matches, scoring only one goal in the process, and failing to score in the last three.

Player and disciplinary info

John Terry (Chelsea) is suspended for this match. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) returns after suspension. Joe Cole (Chelsea) will be suspended if booked. Zhivko Milanov and Daniel Borimirov (both Levski) will be suspended upon receiving another yellow card.

If he plays, Chelsea's Ashley Cole will be making his 50th CL appearance.

Other miscellaneous facts

Chelsea lie second in the Premiership table, trailing Manchester United by six points with one match in hand.

Levski Sofia lead the Bulgarian League, two points ahead of CSKA Sofia.

Seapok · December 5, 2006

Mourinho wants Blues to top group

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has stressed the importance of his side beating Levski Sofia on Tuesday to finish top of their Champions League group.

The Blues are already through to the knockout stages but could be overtaken by Werder Bremen if the Germans win at Barcelona, and knock out the Catalans.

"The good thing is the first team in the group plays the second game at home in the next round," said Mourinho.

"This game is not one where we can relax because we need a result."

Mourinho may have made wholesale changes if his side's place as group winners had been booked but he will now limit his tinkering.

It would be better for us if they (Man Utd and Arsenal) both qualify and go through

He added: "I will give a rest to Claude Makelele because he needs that, John Terry is suspended and Ashley Cole will be on the bench but after that I will try and play with my best team."

"The motivation for us is to finish top. We know if we lose the game we are not first in the group.

"We know if Werder Bremen win, we need to win to be first in the group.

"Because we won't know how the game in Barcelona will end, we have to think of all possibilities. We must win the game to finish top."

Mourinho is also keen for Premiership rivals Manchester United and Arsenal to reach the next stage of the Champions League.

"If you go to the next stage of the Champions League you have big matches coming - top level football," he explained.

"If a team like Manchester United or Arsenal goes to the Uefa Cup - it is an easy competition to play.

"So, from the Chelsea point of view thinking about the Premiership, it would be better for us if they both qualify and go through."

Seapok · December 5, 2006

Chelsea 2-0 Levski Sofia

Chelsea finished top of their Champions League group as Andriy Shevchenko became the second highest scorer in European competition.

And substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips scored his first goal for the Blues as Levski were swept aside.

Shevchenko finished superbly with the outside of his right boot to open the scoring on 27 minutes.

And Wright-Phillips smashed home from outside the area late on before Levski's Richard Eromoigbe went close.

That was the nearest a competent, but largely toothless, Levski side came to causing Chelsea any problems at Stamford Bridge.

And in the end, Chelsea needed only a draw to claim top spot in Group A as Barcelona beat Werder Bremen to finish as runners up.

But Chelsea were clearly going to leave nothing to chance as they made a fast start. After only 68 seconds, Shevchenko won the ball near the half-way line and played in Arjen Robben, who eventually cut the ball back to the Ukraine striker.

But Shevchenko's shot was well saved by keeper Zhivko Milanov, who later did similarly to beat away a first-half Lampard effort.

Lampard, who was keen to run and shoot whenever the opportunity arose, also found Elin Topuzakov's face a barrier to scoring.

The Levski player was left poleaxed by the England midfielder's effort as Chelsea searched for the opener.

When the goal came, it was unsurprising that it was from Shevchenko on the left flank - as both he and Robben had enjoyed success on that side.

The Dutch winger switched the play from the right, via Lampard and Shevchenko provided the finish from the left-hand side of the box.

It was the Ukraine international's 57th in European competition and leaves him five behind all-time top scorer Gerd Muller.

As Chelsea dominated, Ricardo Carvalho had a shot cleared off the line and Levski managed only one effort of note on the Chelsea goal.

In truth, achieving victory was not a particularly difficult task for the Blues, who were allowed to pass the ball around and create opportunities at will against the visitors.

Levski did not come to defend at all costs, and indeed they looked as though they were not equipped to do so.

As a result, the game was played in an open fashion - and sometimes a little sloppily from the Bulgaria point of view.

And the visitors were fortunate not to concede more as Didier Drogba was unlucky not to earn a penalty after being upended by keeper Bozhidar Mitrev.

Lampard also had a penalty appeal waved away and Mitrev made good saves from Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou.

But he was powerless to prevent Wright-Phillips from doubling Chelsea's advantage with a fizzing drive into the bottom left corner.

Chelsea: Hilario, Ferreira (Diarra 58), Carvalho, Boulahrouz, Bridge, Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Robben (Wright-Phillips 68), Shevchenko (Kalou 68), Drogba.

Subs Not Used: Ashley Cole, Mikel, Geremi, Morais.

Goals: Shevchenko 27, Wright-Phillips 83.

Levski Sofia: Mitrev, Milanov, Tomasic, Topuzakov, Stanislav Angelov, Borimirov, Bardon, Eromoigbe, Nikolay Dimitrov (Baltanov 59), Yovov (Koprivarov 70), Domovchiyski (Georgi Ivanov 75).

Subs Not Used: Mihailov, Hristov, Minev, Ognyanov.

Att: 33,358

Ref: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg).

Seapok · December 6, 2006

Blues boss backs Wright-Phillips

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has a future at the club.

West Ham want to sign the 25-year-old who scored his first goal for the club in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Levski Sofia.

"I want him to stay. We know the squad is good in quality but short on numbers," said Mourinho.

"We cannot lose players. We have 19 outfield players for the four competitions we are still involved in - we need every player."

He added: "If the answers from him are positive ones then that is good for me, the team and for the boy. His future does not depend on a goal he scored."

New West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson has publicly stated he will discuss the possibility of signing Wright-Phillips with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon as the January transfer window looms.

The England international, who moved to Stamford Bridge for £21m in July 2005, could be sold for £10m.

But Wright-Phillips does not appear ready to leave after stating he is keen to continue to prove his worth and become more of a first-team regular for the Premiership champions.

He said: "I don't want to leave - so why should I want to go anywhere?"

mrbojangles · December 6, 2006

Blues boss backs Wright-Phillips
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has a future at the club.

West Ham want to sign the 25-year-old who scored his first goal for the club in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Levski Sofia.

I was really chuffed for the lad last night. A ruddy good goal as well. I just hope one day he returns back to us.

He said: "I don't want to leave - so why should I want to go anywhere?"

He said that a week before he left us

Seapok · December 8, 2006

Blues boss backs Wright-Phillips

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has a future at the club.

West Ham want to sign the 25-year-old who scored his first goal for the club in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Levski Sofia.

I was really chuffed for the lad last night. A ruddy good goal as well. I just hope one day he returns back to us.

He said: "I don't want to leave - so why should I want to go anywhere?"

He said that a week before he left us

Money talks my friend, money talks!!

Seapok · December 8, 2006

Shevchenko not in Mourinho elite

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said £30.8m signing Andriy Shevchenko is not one of his "untouchable" stars.

The Blues boss insisted he would never bow down to pressure from club owner Roman Abramovich to pick the striker, who joined last summer.

"If Abramovich doesn't trust the manager, he has enough money to sack me," he said.

"Sheva is not untouchable because of the way he is playing. I play the best players at the time."

The Ukraine striker has scored just three Premiership goals since his move from AC Milan in the summer.

Mourinho added: "Claude Makelele, Michael Essien and Frank Lampard are untouchable because of the way they play, not because I love them.

"Michael Ballack is untouchable because of the way he plays. John Terry is untouchable. Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba - they are untouchable."

If he was happy, we would have a problem

But the former Porto manager had words of support for his underperforming star.

"The way football is played in Italy and England is completely different," he said.

"We have in Thierry Henry the best example of that.

"I know he's the best goalscorer in the last few years in this country, an amazing player, but he scored one goal in 12 Premiership matches when he first changed Juventus for Arsenal.

"We need to give Sheva time. I give him time. The good thing is that he is not happy with the way he is performing. If he was happy, we would have a problem."

Meanwhile, Mourinho called for Chelsea to be allowed to field a B team in the lower leagues of the professional game, as Real Madrid do in La Liga.

"I would love to see it. I can tell you for sure that if that happened, players like Lassana Diarra, Mikel John Obi, Salomon Kalou, when they are not selected for the first team, they have a competition to play in a different level. So they should have a look.

"Like in Spain, they would not be allowed promotion. They don't even play in the cup to stop the possibility of Real Madrid A against Real Madrid B."

Seapok · December 8, 2006

Cole braced for hostile reception

Chelsea's Ashley Cole is bracing himself for a hostile reception from Arsenal fans when he faces his former club at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Cole made an acrimonious switch to Chelsea in the summer after a saga that included a "tapping up" row and a savage attack on Arsenal in his book.

England defender Cole said: "I have to be honest with myself. I think I am going to get booed badly.

"I am very well aware that some fans are very angry."

Arsenal eventually received Chelsea defender William Gallas plus £5m in a transfer deadline day deal.

But supporters were further angered by the subsequent publication of Cole's autobiography, "My Defence", in which he declared he had been "betrayed" by the Gunners' offer of a £55,000 per-week contract.

Cole's former Arsenal team-mate, goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, turned up the heat ahead of the game when he insisted the defender should be criticised for his defection to Chelsea.

He said: "Of course Ashley should expect criticism from supporters on Sunday. He should get criticism. That is football. It makes the game exciting.

"If he didn't, it would have meant that he wasn't an important player, but he was. He was a vital member of our squad and we enjoyed some major successes with him."

Cole, meanwhile, still insists he did nothing wrong in making his move from his boyhood club.

He said: "Some people are going to agree with what I have done and some are not. But I didn't move for money. It was a point of principle. I didn't feel I was wanted.

"In any other job, if someone works for one company then goes to work for another it's not a problem.

"But if you do it as a footballer you are greedy and leaving for the money. I'm not going to say it's unfair because footballers have a great life. But it's not easy.

"I think I am going to get stick when I go back there. Yet if i stayed at Arsenal I was still likely to get abuse.

"All through last season I had to deal with it and it's made me stronger and hopefully it can keep making me stronger."

Chelsea fans were also angry at the manner of Gallas' departure, but he is likely to be spared a Stamford Bridge ordeal because he is a major doubt with a thigh injury.

Seapok · December 11, 2006

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Chelsea slipped eight points behind leaders Manchester United as Michael Essien's superb shot rescued the Blues.

Ashley Cole, facing old club Arsenal for the first time, picked up a booking in the first half, while a Frank Lampard shot hit the post for Chelsea.

It was Arsenal who took a 78th-minute lead against the run of play, Mathieu Flamini shooting past Henrique Hilario.

Six minutes later Essien's shot made it 1-1, with the Ghanian and Frank Lampard hitting the woodwork in stoppage time.

The draw leaves Chelsea eight points adrift of United, who have played a game more than the Premiership title-holders.

As well as deciding whether Chelsea could narrow the gap on leaders United, this game's sub-plot was Cole becoming reacquainted with his old club after his acrimonious departure earlier in the season.

For the Arsenal fans, Cole played the part of pantomime villain perfectly when he was rightly booked for an ugly challenge on Alexander Hleb midway through the first half.

The yellow card was justified but it raised the hackles of Chelsea's players, who remonstrated with referee Alan Wiley, pointing out he had earlier failed to book Philippe Senderos for a mistimed tackle on Didier Drogba.

Just past the hour the pantomime sideshow took centre stage when Jens Lehmann and Drogba engaged in some pushing, shoving and theatrical diving.

Both were booked for their antics.

As to the football, if Arsenal's game was pleasing on the eye in the way Cesc Fabregas orchestrated their attacking movements, Chelsea were altogether more brutally efficient in their modus operandi.

Brutal efficiency won out in those early stages as Michael Ballack flashed a shot past Lehmann's left-hand post, while Lampard's half-volley rattled the woodwork.

Equally rattled was Senderos, who endured a nervy start - notably when he completely miskicked in trying to clear a Claude Makelele pass.

Seven minutes before the break, Lehmann was rescued when Fabregas cleared Essien's shot off the line after the Arsenal goalkeeper was unable to gather a Chelsea corner.

At the start of the second half Arsenal took a leaf out of Chelsea's book and adopted a more direct approach, spearheaded by some strong running from Emmanuel Adebayor.

Midway through the second period, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho revamped his attack by bringing off the anonymous Andriy Shevchenko and introducing Arjen Robben and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Robben made an immediate impact, outsprinting the Arsenal defence and forcing a good save from Lehmann, who - unable to gather the ball cleanly - had to make a second stop from Lampard.

Just as Chelsea threatened to take complete control of the game, Arsenal took the lead after a sumptuous move.

That move was concluded with Hleb and Flamini swapping passes before the former Marseille midfielder swept the ball past Hilario.

At the end of November, Chelsea had to come from behind to secure a draw against leaders United, a game that highlighted how vital Essien is to Mourinho's side.

And it was Essien who came to his side's rescue, when he launched a shot that swerved its way past Lehmann.

In a frantic finish, Chelsea struck the woodwork twice in stoppage time, first through Essien and then Lampard, who hit the post after an awful error from Lehmann.

Chelsea: Hilario, Geremi (Wright-Phillips 66), Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Essien, Ballack, Makelele, Lampard, Shevchenko (Robben 67), Drogba.

Subs Not Used: Hedman, Boulahrouz, Mikel.

Booked: Ashley Cole, Drogba.

Goals: Essien 84.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Djourou, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas, Silva, Flamini, Van Persie (Ljungberg 83), Adebayor.

Subs Not Used: Almunia, Julio Baptista, Hoyte, Walcott.

Booked: Flamini, Lehmann.

Goals: Flamini 78.

Att: 41,917.

Ref: A Wiley (Staffordshire).

Seapok · December 11, 2006

Title race is not over - Mourinho

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has warned Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson the title race is not over.

The champions slid eight points behind United after Michael Essien's late goal salvaged a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

But Mourinho said: "Ferguson must be happy now because we can say we dropped two points but if he thinks it's over he's in trouble because it's not.

"We are here for the fight and I enjoy the fight. It is better to be in front but let's chase them - we can do it."

Chelsea have one game in hand on Manchester United, which they will play on Wednesday when Newcastle come to Stamford Bridge.

Because of the way they controlled the game in the first half, I am happy to settle for a draw

And Mourinho is already counting on closing the gap on United against Glenn Roeder's men.

"On Wednesday - no disrespect to Newcastle - I think I will be here saying the points difference is five," said Mourinho.

"It is a difference but that is not much of a difference in a long Premiership.

"The first step is the five-point difference and after that we will enjoy it. We showed we are not afraid of them and we can beat them at Stamford Bridge."

Arsenal seemed poised to inflict a rare home defeat on Chelsea after Matthieu Flamini had edged Arsene Wenger's side ahead.

But Essien's curling strike in the 84th minute rescued Chelsea and Mourinho, despite questioning Arsenal's defensive tactics, was satisfied with only a point.

"Because of the way they controlled the game in the first half, I am happy to settle for a draw," said Mourinho.

"In the first half, they controlled possession and played with more quality and confidence but I don't remember a single shot.

"It was a bit of a surprise for a team behind the leaders not to come here to win but just to go for the draw.

"In the last period we had big chances to win but we didn't."

Seapok · December 13, 2006

Cole diagnosed with broken foot

Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole is facing at least three weeks on the sidelines after being diagnosed with a minor stress fracture in his foot.

The England international, 25, last played as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at Manchester United on 26 November.

After that match, pain in his foot stopped him from taking part in training and bruising was discovered.

Chelsea's website said a scan was carried out on Monday after which the foot fracture was confirmed.

Cole has made just three starts and eight substitute appearances this season and will now miss Chelsea's busy festive programme.

The Blues trail Manchester United by eight points in the table and face six Premiership matches over the Christmas and New Year period.

The fixture list also includes a Carling Cup quarter-final at Newcastle and an FA Cup third round tie at home to Macclesfield.

Seapok · December 13, 2006

Stamford Bridge

Wednesday, 13 December

Kick-off: 1945 GMT

Coverage on the BBC Sport website & BBC Radio Five Live

Italian keeper Carlo Cudicini remains doubtful for Chelsea as he struggles to shake off a leg muscle injury.

Joe Cole is out for a month with a broken foot but coach Jose Mourinho has no other major injury worries.

Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt has shaken off a virus and forward Antoine Sibierski (hamstring) should be fit.

Kieron Dyer (thigh) and Scott Parker (back) are not quite ready to return, while Emre (ankle) and Nolberto Solano (groin) have joined a long injury list.

Chelsea (from): Hilario, Cudicini, Hedman, Ferreira, Carvalho, Geremi, Terry, Boulahrouz, Bridge, A Cole, Lampard, Essien, Makelele, Ballack, Kalou, Drogba, Shevchenko, Wright-Phillips, Robben, Diarra.

Newcastle (from): Given, Srnicek, Taylor, Ramage, Huntington, Babayaro, Butt, N'Zogbia, Milner, Pattison, Troisi, Gate, Edgar, Martins, Sibierski, Luque, Rossi, Carroll.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard:

"There's not much difference in the pressure of being a few points clear or closing the gap.

"You still have to win matches. There's a long way to go so it's important we stay strong mentally and physically."

Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder:

"It's a massive test and it doesn't help being without so many first-team players.

"That probably means an opportunity for one or two younger players - but what an opportunity it is to play at Stamford Bridge.

"Chelsea would have pencilled in three points but it's up to us to put on a performance. The boys are confident and rightly so."

BIG-MATCH FACTS

CHELSEA run out three days after dropping two home points to Arsenal, and set about the task of closing the eight-point gap between themselves and leaders Manchester United, but opponents Newcastle are enjoying their best form of the season, undefeated in eight in League and Cup.

The Stamford Bridge club are aiming to extend their unbeaten home League record to 53 games. They're not lost a home Premiership match under Jose Mourinho, and if they can maintain that run until the end of this season they will equal Liverpool's record of 63 home League matches without defeat.

The Blues may have lost to a Titus Bramble goal at St James' Park on the last day of last season, but they welcome the Magpies as they attempt to complete five successive victories over them at the Bridge.

NEWCASTLE UNITED followed home Premiership victories over Portsmouth and Reading with Saturday's impressive 1-3 triumph at Blackburn. Victory over the champions would take them to within one of matching their five-game winning sequence of last April, and provide an ideal 51st birthday present for manager Glenn Roeder.

The Magpies have not lost on the road since succumbing to Manchester United and Middlesbrough in successive away League fixtures on 1 and 22 October.

United travel to West London in search of their first ever Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge - the Magpies last recorded a League victory there 20 years ago. Andy Thomas got a brace and Peter Beardsley the other in a 1-3 victory on 22 November 1986.

REFEREE

Phil Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire)

Premiership referees' table

Phil Dowd's 2006-07 Premiership card count

SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM

CHELSEA

Fixtures

2nd 36 points

Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 2nd

Lowest could fall: 2nd

1. Unbeaten in five Premiership matches. Won three and drawn two in the League, since losing 2-1, away to Tottenham on 5 November.

2. Lost one of the last 14 League games.

3. Kept clean sheets in three of the last five League matches, conceding one goal in each of the other two games.

4. The only club to have scored in every Premiership game this season.

5. Hold a 100% record when a clean sheet has been kept, winning nine of nine.

6. Opened the scoring in 14 of the 16 Premiership games.

7. Registered 1,100 top flight victories, exactly 1,000 post war League wins and 150 Premiership draws.

8. On the longest runs in the Premiership for scoring in successive games (16) and since losing by more than a single goal (28 matches). Not registered a goalless draw in 22 top tier outings.

9. Have not lost a home League game under Jose Mourinho (won 38, drawn eight), nor been defeated in the top division at the Bridge since a 1-2 reverse to Arsenal on 21 February 2004. They have won 42 and drawn 10 of the last 52 home Premiership matches and dropped just 16 points out of a possible 138 at home under the current manager.

10. Play three more fixtures before Christmas. They're away to Everton next weekend, then go to Newcastle in the Carling Cup and visit Wigan in the Premiership.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Fixtures

14th 19 points

Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 11th

Lowest could fall: 14th

1. Won five and drawn three of the last eight in all competitions (counting the Carling Cup tie with Watford decided on penalties as a win).

2. Unbeaten in five Premiership games, drawing two and winning three since losing 0-1, home to Sheffield United on 4 November.

3. Lost all five League games in which the opening goal has been conceded.

4. Lost twice as many games on their Premiership travels as they've won (won two, lost four).

5. Not lost in six away games, in all competitions.

6. Effectively dropped 10 points from winning positions in the highest League. Lost home to Fulham and Bolton, and drawn home to Everton and away to Arsenal.

7. Two pre-Christmas home Premiership fixtures against Watford and Tottenham are scheduled, separated by another meeting with Chelsea, this time at St James' in the Carling Cup.

KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES

CHELSEA

Squad profiles

Frank LAMPARD needs one goal to become Chelsea's highest scoring midfield player in their history. He has scored 76 goals from 291 appearances (only two were headers), and is equal with Dennis Wise, who needed 445 games to score his 76 goals for the Blues.

Didier DROGBA is the highest scoring Premiership player this season with 14 goals, eight of which are League goals, putting him one behind Portsmouth's Nwankwo KANU at the top of the table for the Barclays Golden Boot award.

Only Michael ESSIEN has figured in every minute of Chelsea's League and Cup matches this season.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Squad profiles

Antoine SIBIERSKI and Obafemi MARTINS are Newcastle's top scorers with six goals each. Martins is the Magpies' leading Premiership scorer with four goals.

If he keeps goal as usual, Shay GIVEN will be making his 300th Premiership appearance for Newcastle.

If they play, Craig MOORE and Nol SOLANO will be playing the day after their respective 31st and 32nd birthdays.

If they play, both Nicky BUTT and EMRE will be making their 50th appearances in Magpies colours, and if Peter RAMAGE starts, he'll be making his 50th start for the Tyneside club.

Damien DUFF made 125 appearances for Chelsea in three seasons from July 2003. He scored 19 goals, 14 of which were in the Premiership in which he made 81 appearances.

If Pavel SRNICEK plays, he'll be making his 200th English League appearance and 150th in a Newcastle jersey.

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME

Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle United

19 November 2005 - Ref: Mark Halsey

Chelsea scorers: Joe Cole 47, Crespo 51, Duff 90

HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS

Home and away

League: Chelsea 48 wins, Newcastle 44, Draws 32

Prem: Chelsea 12 wins, Newcastle 7, Draws 7

at Chelsea only

League: Chelsea 35 wins, Newcastle 10, Draws 17

Prem: Chelsea 9 wins, Newcastle 0, Draws 4

Seapok · December 14, 2006

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

Didier Drogba came off the bench to strike Chelsea's late winner and reduce Manchester United's lead at the Premiership summit to five points.

Jose Mourinho dropped Drogba and Andriy Shevchenko to the bench, but they combined for the latter to bundle in from six yards with 16 minutes left.

Antoine Sibierski gave Chelsea a scare by heading against the bar early on.

But Chelsea improved after the break, with Arjen Robben hitting a post after Drogba broke the deadlock.

It was a night of struggle for Chelsea, but they prevailed in trademark fashion to extend their unbeaten Premiership run at Stamford Bridge to 53 games.

Chelsea axed off-colour striker Shevchenko and rested Drogba, who had a knock and was on the bench.

The changes provided starting opportunities for Robben, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Salomon Kalou.

Kalou wasted two opportunities and Frank Lampard shot over as Chelsea dominated the early exchanges - but once injury-hit Newcastle settled to their task they were more than a match for Chelsea in the opening half.

Sibierski almost shocked Chelsea after 15 minutes when he rose highest to meet James Milner's corner, but headed against the bar.

And 10 minutes before half-time Giuseppe Rossi was narrowly off target with a left-foot snap shot.

But Newcastle's plans were disrupted again just before the interval when Charles N'Zogbia fell awkwardly and was stretchered off with a knee injury, to be replaced by Matty Pattison.

Chelsea's display had lacked vigour, and the champions made a double change during the interval.

Wright-Phillips had endured another frustrating evening and he was replaced by Drogba, with Claude Makelele replacing the injured Ricardo Carvalho.

Drogba almost made an instant impact when he stole in on the end of Robben's cross, but headed wide.

And Newcastle keeper Shay Given needed to be alert after 58 minutes to block an angled free-kick from Robben.

Chelsea were struggling to break Newcastle's stubborn resistance, resulting in Mourinho sending on Shevchenko for Geremi after 66 minutes.

Kalou had got himself into dangerous positions, but his finishing was wayward and he shot wildly over with his right foot after working an opening inside the area.

Chelsea finally broke the deadlock in somewhat fortuitous fashion after 74 minutes through Drogba.

Robben's cross found Shevchenko, whose attempted shot fell into the path of Drogba, who made no mistake from six yards out.

The strike left Newcastle deflated, and Given was forced to turn a header from John Terry over the top.

As Glenn Roeder's side wilted, Given was outstanding again to turn Robben's low shot on to an upright.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho:

"Didier Drogba's attitude was brilliant. He was injured and there was maybe the risk of a bigger injury if he played, but at a tough time we needed him and he came on and made his contribution with the goal.

"The team understood the message at half-time and the message was that we couldn't afford to lose points from this game.

"Sometimes you get points through quality and sometimes you get it with your heart, and we did it with our heart."

Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder:

"I was very proud of my players. I think we deserved a point.

"We were little unlucky with the goal because Andriy Shevchenko's ball for Didier Drogba's goal was not a pass.

"World class players don't normally scuff shots, but Shevchenko scuffed his shot and it turned out to be a very good scuff and Drogba is lethal from six yards.

"It was a real shame because we battled so hard and I cannot say enough good things about the attitude of my players here, especially with so many young players in the team."

Chelsea: Hilario, Geremi (Shevchenko 67), Carvalho (Makelele 46), Terry, Ashley Cole, Ballack, Essien, Lampard, Wright-Phillips (Drogba 46), Kalou, Robben.

Subs Not Used: Hedman, Bridge.

Booked: Essien, Makelele.

Goals: Drogba 74.

Newcastle: Given, Huntington, Ramage, Taylor, Babayaro, Rossi, Butt, N'Zogbia (Pattison 44), Milner, Sibierski (Luque 78), Martins.

Subs Not Used: Srnicek, O'Brien, Edgar.

Booked: Ramage, Babayaro.

Att: 41,945

Ref: P Dowd (Staffordshire).

Seapok · December 14, 2006

Terry warning for rivals Man Utd

Chelsea captain John Terry has fired a warning to rivals Manchester United.

Terry's side struggled to beat Newcastle on Wednesday and trail United by five points after 17 league games.

But the England skipper said: "They are probably playing the best football they can play at the moment. They've had very few injuries so far.

"Whereas we know as a team we've got another level to go to. We need to take the game to teams and then no-one can live with us."

Terry's team overcame a dogged Newcastle side thanks to a second-half match-winner from substitute Didier Drogba.

And he added: "We must go on a run of games and keep winning.

"We must keep the pressure up. Christmas is a difficult period. United have got tough games. We must just keep winning and keep on like we know we're capable of."

Drogba was injured. A normal player, with a normal attitude would not have played

Chelsea struggled to break down Glenn Roeder's makeshift side until Drogba, a half-time replacement for the injured Ricardo Carvalho, slid the ball home after Andriy Shevchenko had miscued his shot.

Drogba, nursing a hamstring injury, started on the bench along with Andriy Shevchenko.

But unlike Drogba, the Ukrainian striker had been dropped by manager Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho added: "I make decisions from my analysis. I took him out of the team because I felt the team needed different qualities.

"With Salomon Kalou and Arjen Robben, I get different qualities. So we decided to make some changes and Shevchenko was out.

"I think (Shevchenko) took it as a professional. He was not happy but behaved properly. He came on when I decided and did well for the team."

Mourinho left Drogba in the dugout until half-time because of his injury problem. He added: "Drogba was injured. A normal player, with a normal attitude would not have played.

"So I was trying to explain to him the best decision was to save him. If the result was positive at half-time we would not have played him.

"But I felt we needed him at half-time. His attitude in the game and the way he worked for the team meant he was very important for us. He is one of the top players at the moment."

Seapok · December 15, 2006

Porto v Chelsea

The dates have been announced for Chelsea's Champions League first knockout round games against Porto.

The matches are as follows:

Wednesday 21 February - FC Porto v Chelsea (Dragao Stadium)

Tuesday 6 March - Chelsea v FC Porto (Stamford Bridge)

Earlier in the day the draw sent Jose Mourinho back to his former club who were group stage opponents of Chelsea in the 2004/5 season, Mourinho's first in London.

Chelsea won the home match and lost away.

The full draw is:

Porto v Chelsea

Celtic v Milan

PSV Eindhoven v Arsenal

Lille v Man United

Roma v Lyon

Barcelona v Liverpool

Real Madrid v Bayern Munich

Inter Milan v Valencia

Seapok · December 17, 2006

Everton v Chelsea

Goodison Park

Sunday, 17 December

Kick-off: 1345 GMT

Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live, and highlights on MOTD2

Everton pair Phil Neville and Leon Osman could return to the side after injury, while James McFadden could replace struggling James Beattie.

Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, Tony Hibbert, Alessandro Pistone and Gary Naysmith are all injured.

Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho (ankle) and keeper Carlo Cudicini (thigh) are doubtful.

Joe Cole (broken foot) is out, but Didier Drogba is expected to have recovered from a hamstring strain.

Everton (from): Howard, Yobo, Lescott, Stubbs, Weir, Valente, Neville, Carsley, Davies, Osman, Beattie, Johnson, McFadden, Vaughan, Anichebe, Wright, Van der Meyde, Hughes, Vidarsson.

Chelsea (from): Cudicini, Hilario, Hedman, Ferreira, Geremi, Terry, Carvalho, Boulahrouz, Bridge, A Cole, Lampard, Essien, Ballack, Makelele, Diarra, Robben, Drogba, Shevchenko, Kalou, Wright-Phillips.

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard:

"Chelsea are the champions on merit and so we will have all hands to the pump and see where we go.

"It is key for us to get on top early, as you saw when we played Arsenal, even though we ended up with a draw, it makes the game that much easier.

"It will be a very difficult match. Not too many people have taken points off Chelsea and there's a reason for that.

"We just have to make sure we grind out a result."

Chelsea winger Arjen Robben:

"Everton away is always difficult. It is a tough place to go and we have to get our minds again on that game.

"We can't afford to lose points because last Sunday, of course it was a difficult game against Arsenal, but we lost two points there.

"Last Wednesday was an important win so we have to continue that."

BIG-MATCH FACTS

EVERTON were the first club to take a point off the newly crowned champions Chelsea in this corresponding fixture last season, and will need a similar or better result this time to arrest a steady slide down the table. The Merseysiders are just holding their own in the top half, having been a top three club three months ago.

The last two fixtures at Goodison Park have both been victorious (1-0 against Bolton, and 2-0 over West Ham), and have helped to maintain a level record for manager David Moyes. The Toffees have won 68 and lost 68 of 178 Premiership matches during his tenure.

The Toffees are looking for a first win in 12 Premiership meetings with Chelsea, since Danny Cadamarteri and Kevin Campbell netted in the 2-1 home victory on 25 November 2000.

CHELSEA were made to fight hard for their 1-0 home victory over Newcastle on Wednesday night, which closed the gap on leaders Manchester United to five points. Now they go to Merseyside seeking a sixth away maximum of the League campaign to close that gap further to just two points ahead of the Red Devils' match at West Ham, which is not due to kick off until a quarter of an hour after the final whistle of this one.

The Londoners have kept clean sheets in 10 of their 17 Premiership engagements - that's more than any other club. Manchester United and Arsenal are the only opposing clubs to have scored first in any of their League games.

The Londoners have won eight and drawn three of the last 11 Premiership matches against Everton including three wins in the last four visits to Goodison.

REFEREE

Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

Premiership referees' table

Mark Halsey's 2006-07 Premiership card count

SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM

EVERTON

Club stats

Fixtures

Going into the weekend: 10th 24 points

(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures)

1. Won one of the last four Premiership matches, and lost two of three.

2. Won two of the last nine in all competitions.

3. Failed to score in four of the last seven League games.

4. Lost all four games in which they've failed to find the back of the net.

5. Holding a 100% record when a clean sheet is kept. Won five of five against Spurs (a), Liverpool (h), Sheffield United (h), Bolton (h) and West Ham (h).

6. Not been involved in a no score draw in this Premiership season, and not chalked up a goalless stalemate in 19 outings since the home fixture with Birmingham on 22 April.

7. Lost only one home League game (0-1, against Aston Villa on 11 November).

8. Lost two of the last 18 top tier encounters at Goodison.

9. Hoping to complete three home Premiership victories on the bounce for the first time since registering six in a row on 18 March.

10. Must visit Reading before Christmas before entertaining Middlesbrough on Boxing Day and Newcastle on the following Saturday. Travel to Manchester City on New Years Day.

CHELSEA

Club stats

Fixtures

Going into the weekend: 2nd 39 points

(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures)

1. Unbeaten in six Premiership matches. Won four and drawn two in the top League, since losing 2-1, away to Tottenham on 5 November.

2. Lost one of the last 15 League outings.

3. Kept clean sheets in four of the last six top flight matches, conceding one goal in each of the other two games.

4. The only club to have scored in every Premiership game this season, netting one goal in each of the last five.

5. Holding a 100% record when a clean sheet has been kept, winning 10 of 10.

6. Opened the scoring in 15 of the 17 top tier encounters.

7. On the longest runs in the Premiership for scoring in successive games (17) and since losing by more than a single goal (29 matches). Not registered a goalless draw in 23 top tier outings.

8. The last three away Premiership fixtures have resulted in a defeat (at Spurs), a draw (at Manchester United) and a win (at Bolton).

9. Yet to play Newcastle at St James' Park in the Carling Cup and Wigan at the JJB before Christmas. Thereafter come home fixtures against Reading and Fulham before beginning 2007 at Aston Villa.

KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES

EVERTON

Squad profiles

Tim CAHILL is Everton's top scorer with seven goals. Andrew JOHNSON leads the way for the club in the Premiership with six goals, but he hasn't netted in 11 matches for club and country, since scoring the opener in the 1-1 home draw with Manchester City on 30 September.

Joseph YOBO is the only player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Everton's Premiership matches this season.

If he plays, Lee CARSLEY will be making his 400th club career appearance (Derby, Blackburn, Coventry and Everton).

If selected in the 11, CARSLEY will be making his 100th Premiership start for the Toffees.

If Phil NEVILLE participates, he'll be making his 50th Premiership appearance in an Everton shirt, and 450th club career appearance (Manchester United and Everton).

When next involved, Alessandro PISTONE will be making his 150th appearance in English top flight football.

CHELSEA

Squad profiles

Frank LAMPARD needs one goal to become Chelsea's highest scoring midfield player in their history. He has scored 76 goals from 292 appearances (only two were headers), and is equal with Dennis Wise, who needed 445 games to score his 76 goals for the Blues.

If on the field from the outset, LAMPARD will be making his 200th Premiership start in Chelsea colours.

Didier DROGBA is the highest scoring Premiership player this season with 15 goals, nine of which are League goals putting him at the top of the table for the Barclays Golden Boot award, jointly with Nwankwo KANU of Portsmouth.

DROGBA is a hat trick short of netting 50 goals for Chelsea.

Only Michael ESSIEN has figured in every minute of every one of Chelsea's League and Cup matches this season.

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME

Everton 1-1 Chelsea

23 October 2005 - Ref: Mark Clattenburg

Everton scorer: Beattie 37 pen

Chelsea scorer: Lampard 50

HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS

Home and away

League: Everton 45 wins, Chelsea 48, Draws 41

Prem: Everton 4 wins, Chelsea 14, Draws 10

at Everton only

League: Everton 33 wins, Chelsea 13, Draws 21

Prem: Everton 3 wins, Chelsea 5, Draws 6

Seapok · December 18, 2006

Everton 2-3 Chelsea

Didier Drogba's brilliant long-range volley clinched the points for Chelsea after a thriller at Goodison Park.

Mikel Arteta's first-half penalty put Everton ahead after John Terry's stand-in Khalid Boulahrouz hauled down the ever-threatening Victor Anichebe.

Chelsea levelled when Michael Ballack's free-kick hit the post and deflected in off the back of the diving Tim Howard.

Joseph Yobo headed Everton in front before Frank Lampard's looping equaliser and Drogba's late winner.

Chelsea started without captain Terry, who suffered a recurrence of a back problem that kept him out of the recent win at Fulham.

Everton posed the first serious threat, when Ashley Cole was forced to head Arteta's left-wing cross clear when under pressure from Leon Osman.

The main early talking point was a rejected penalty claim when Andy Johnson was caught between Boulahrouz and goalkeeper Hilario.

Referee Mark Halsey checked with the linesman before waving away any appeals, a decision that raised passions in both managerial dug-outs.

Lampard saw a trademark long-range effort whistle just wide of the post and down the other end a shot on the turn from Arteta dribbled wide as Everton took the game to the champions.

The Johnson incident exposed Boulahrouz's discomfort, so it was no surprise when he was involved in Everton's first goal.

Anichebe, making his first Premiership start, was a constant threat and when he was wrestled to the ground by the Dutchman, Arteta netted from the spot.

Osman's injury-time header nearly doubled the lead but minutes after the restart the lead was gone, when Ballack's free-kick after Lee Carsley's needless handball went in off Howard's back.

Salomon Kalou then saw a close-range effort hit the post as a revitalised Chelsea started to take control of the game.

But then Yobo took centre stage, heading his first goal in 13 months to restore the advantage before racing back in defence to deny Drogba after a superb long ball by Lampard.

Just as Everton were starting to think of a famous win, Chelsea produced a dazzling late double-blow.

First, Lampard was left unmarked and thrashed the ball into the roof of the net from the right-hand corner of the box.

And then minutes after hitting the post, Drogba chested down a flick-on, turned and volleyed a stunning long-range winner.

Everton manager David Moyes:

"I can't be critical of my team in any of their performances except for the way they conceded the goals.

"When we got to 2-1, we knew they'd change their system, chase the game and push people forward and I thought we'd coped with that and seen it off - but for Lampard's goal.

"You can tell everyone what he's capable of but I thought we should have got to the ball quicker when it was rolled back to him, so for me that was disappointing."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho on coming for behind:

"Players with normal personalities would put their arms down and the game is lost.

"But they kept believing until the last second and fought for the result.

"I told them it's about belief. If you don't believe you have no chance.

"At this moment, everything looks like it's against us so they need to be very strong - and that belief they had was very important."

Everton: Howard, Neville, Yobo, Stubbs, Lescott, Osman, Carsley (Beattie 90), Davies, Arteta, Johnson, Anichebe (McFadden 90).

Subs Not Used: Wright, Naysmith, Weir.

Booked: Neville.

Goals: Arteta 38 pen, Yobo 64.

Chelsea: Hilario, Geremi (Kalou 46), Boulahrouz (Bridge 73), Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Essien, Makelele, Ballack, Lampard, Drogba, Robben (Shevchenko 73).

Subs Not Used: Hedman, Ferreira.

Booked: Carvalho.

Goals: Howard 49 og, Lampard 81, Drogba 87.

Att: 33,970

Ref: M Halsey (Lancashire).

Seapok · December 19, 2006

Drog throws down gauntlet

Didier Drogba feels Chelsea have got Manchester United running scared in the title race.

United held a nine-point lead a little over a week ago, but the gap is down to two following the weekend's action.

The Red Devils tasted defeat at West Ham on Sunday, shortly after Chelsea had dug deep into their reserves to claim a 3-2 win at Everton.

Drogba was Chelsea's hero at Goodison Park as his late stunner claimed the points and he feels the momentum is with Jose Mourinho's charges.

"I know we have shown we have what it takes to be champions again, and I think Manchester United know it too," he told the Daily Mirror. "They would have been thinking at one stage on Sunday the gap was going to be eight points.

"But now it's only two and I believe this was the most crucial day of the championship race.

"Of course there are many games to go, many matches to be played and many points to be won or lost. Now though, we have the psychological advantage.

"United can see we are there, right behind them, and we are ready to be champions again."

Seapok · December 19, 2006

Pompey confirm SWP interest

Portsmouth have confirmed their interest in luring Shaun Wright-Phillips to Fratton Park.

The Chelsea winger has insisted that he is more than happy with life at Chelsea, despite starting just 13 league games since his £21 million move from Manchester City last season.

However, Portsmouth are now ready to test Chelsea's resolve but chief executive Peter Storrie admits the matter will be firmly in the champions' court.

"We are considering various options for strengthening next month. We are looking at names, drawing up lists and, of course, we would consider a player of Shaun Wright-Phillips's ability," said Storrie.

"But it is a matter of what he wants to do and what Chelsea want to do. He is Chelsea's player."

Portsmouth, who brought in a number of new faces in the summer, are ready to again raid the transfer market in January.

And manager Harry Redknapp is delighted to know new supremo Alexandre Gaydamak will back him with his transfer plans.

"The owner is ambitious to do well here and I know that if I want two or three signings next month he will be there for me," he said.

"I will only pay the right money to bring people in - not just for the sake of it."

Seapok · December 20, 2006

Jose: We're going to win title

Jose Mourinho remains convinced Chelsea will see off Manchester United to claim a third consecutive Premiership title.

The reigning champions reduced the gap at the top to two points on Sunday after beating Everton 3-2 before United lost at West Ham.

Those results restored Chelsea to the position of favourites for the Premiership and Mourinho is confident his players can retain their crown.

"I am as convinced as I was three or four months ago we are going to win the title," Mourinho told The Sun.

"I have won four consecutive titles. It's not normal for one club to do that and even less so for one coach.

"The work done by the club, more than the players, is always questioned. They don't give us the credit we believe we deserve.

"We were champions in the first year and champions again. If we are not champions again then our work will be analysed in a negative way."

Mourinho also insisted he does not encourage his players to bend the rules in the pursuit of victory.

Didier Drogba's antics have often been criticised, but the Chelsea boss is adamant he does not instruct his players to dive.

He added: "The end doesn't justify the means. I'm a just person.

"I don't like to lose because of an injustice and I don't like to win because of an injustice."

Seapok · December 20, 2006

Jose sorry for Johnson row

Jose Mourinho has apologised to Andrew Johnson, but insists he never called the Everton striker a cheat.

Everton had outlined plans to lodge a complaint about Mourinho following comments made by the Chelsea manager after Sunday's game at Goodison Park.

Mourinho insinuated that Johnson had dived in an attempt to try and win a penalty during Chelsea's 3-2 victory.

The Blues boss has apologised for his comments, but is adamant he never branded the England international a cheat.

"First I would like to say I have the utmost respect for Everton Football Club, David Moyes and their players," said Mourinho in a statement on Chelsea's official website.

"That's why I love to play them, and especially at Goodison Park where the atmosphere is magnificent.

"Secondly, after the match I was clear and said Andy Johnson is a great player and I never used aggressive words, like some managers did against my players in previous seasons, or like some others recently said about him and Ronaldo.

"I never used the word cheat.

"After seeing it again on the video, Mr Halsey did wonderful work and both decisions for penalties were correct.

"Did Andy Johnson try to avoid a collision with my goalkeeper?

"It seems now the answer to that is yes so Everton, his manager and he deserve my apologies."

Seapok · December 20, 2006

Newcastle 0-1 Chelsea

Didier Drogba came off the bench to fire Chelsea into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup with a late free-kick.

Newcastle went close to taking the lead when an Obafemi Martins drive hit the underside of the bar and bounced down on to the line before being cleared.

Andrei Shevchenko also hit the post for Chelsea but they needed Drogba's curler to break the deadlock on 79 minutes.

Frank Lampard almost added a late second with a 40-yard shot against the post from a poor Shay Given clearance.

Drogba had been one of five of boss Jose Mourinho's 'untouchables' absent at the start of the game.

He joined Ashley Cole, Lampard, and Michael Ballack as substitutes while the injured John Terry missed out altogether.

But the visitors still made a strong start and, not for the first time this season, it was thanks to Michael Essien taking the game by the scruff of the neck in the middle.

He was involved in a slick move that led to Mikel Jon Obi firing over and then scuffed his own shot wide soon after good work by Salomon Kalou.

Newcastle, playing with only Martens up front, had their fair share of possession but looked short of ideas when it came to creating chances.

That all changed after 25 minutes when Martins at last got a sniff of goal.

Receiving the ball from Nolberto Solano some 30 yards out, the Nigerian composed himself before unleashing a dipping drive that smashed against the bar and bounced down and then out before being cleared.

TV replays failed to clear up whether or not the ball had crossed the line but the reaction of Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder showed he knew how close his side had come to opening the scoring.

They were not finished there either, with Nicky Butt unleashing a peach of a volley from the resulting corner that Hilario had to punch away.

That was by far the best spell of the match for the home side though and they were almost behind at half-time, Shevchenko's shot bouncing back off the far post after Essien had played him in.

Lampard was the first of Mourinho's big guns to be brought on, replacing Makelele at the break.

He quickly tested Given with a shot from distance, but was off target with his next effort after Robben found him in space in the area.

At the other end Emre's clever pass set Kieron Dyer free but Hilario came out quickly to block his shot.

Ballack's introduction on the hour mark seemed to give Chelsea another lift but it was the arrival of Drogba - to replace Shevchenko on 75 minutes - that was to prove decisive.

Five minutes later Robben was chopped down by Solano and Nicky Butt's double challenge on the left corner of the area.

Drogba played the ball short to Ballack to open up the angle and then curled in a precise shot that Given could only help into the top corner for his 17th goal of the season.

Newcastle attempted to respond but for all their effort they were still lacking inspiration in the final third.

And Chelsea could have had another before the end when Lampard intercepted Given's careless clearance and was unlucky to see his shot come back off the post with the keeper nowhere to be seen.

Seapok · December 23, 2006

Wigan v Chelsea

JJB Stadium

Saturday, 23 December

Kick-off: 1715 GMT

Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live, and highlights on MOTD

Wigan are without strikers Henri Camara and Lee McCulloch so Svetoslav Todorov is in line for his Latics debut.

Camara has a knee injury, McCulloch is banned, Gary Teale is close to a return but Paul Scharner, Ryan Taylor, Antonio Valencia and Steve McMillan are out.

Chelsea captain John Terry is a doubt after the recurrence of his back injury and Khalid Boulahrouz is on stand-by.

The club's only other major concern is over goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini who has a muscle injury. Joe Cole is still out.

Wigan (from): Kirkland, Jackson, Hall, Kilbane, Cywka, Johansson, Landzaat, Heskey, Boyce, Cotterill, Skoko, Baines, De Zeeuw, Wright, Webster, Todorov, Teale, Pollitt.

Chelsea (from): Hilario, Hedman, Cudicini, Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, Boulahrouz, Ferreira, A Cole, Bridge, Lampard, Essien, Makelele, Ballack, Drogba, Shevchenko, Robben, Wright-Phillips, Diarra, Mikel, Kalou.

Wigan boss Paul Jewell faces the prospect of Chelsea, followed by Manchester United:

"It can't be feared, we have to look forward to it.

"The fact we're playing Chelsea in front of a full house and on television should get the players fired up.

"We have to try and finish the year on a high note and although we face a tough end, we'll give it our best shot."

Chelsea midfielder Geremi:

"The pressure is on us all the time because we don't want to drop points, especially when Manchester United play before us.

"The difference is that we are chasing them this time, last year it was easier because we were seven and nine points in front of them.

"This is a tough period but now we are in a good place behind them."

BIG-MATCH FACTS

WIGAN ATHLETIC are unlikely to find Chelsea over generous towards the less well off this Christmas, as they pursue a hat trick of Premiership titles.

The Latics have bagged 20 fewer points than Chelsea (22 to 42), and are aiming to avoid a third successive Premiership defeat. There will be little in the way of Christmas Day festivities for Paul Jewell's side, as this fixture against the double champions is followed by a visit to the Premiership leaders Manchester United on Boxing Day. Thereafter it looks a little easier on paper, with a trip to Watford next Saturday and a home game against Blackburn on New Years Day.

The Latics are facing Chelsea for the third time in a Premiership fixture, and are still looking for a first ever League goal against them.

CHELSEA complete the first half of their Premiership programme, still challenging for all four trophies. However they could find themselves five points behind Manchester United at the top of the tree, by the time this Saturday evening fixture kicks off.

The Blues go to the JJB on a seven-match unbeaten League run of five wins and two draws, having been made to fight hard for the last seven points from a 1-1 draw with Arsenal, a 1-0 win against Newcastle - both at home - and last Saturday's 2-3 victory at Everton. Their holiday programme takes in home games against Reading on Boxing Day and the West London derby with Fulham four days later, before a trip to Aston Villa early in the new year.

The Blues 'doubled' Wigan last season with two 1-0 victories. The first was somewhat fortunate. Wigan deserved at least a draw from their first ever experience of top flight football, but Argentine striker Hernan Crespo came off the bench to score a superb winner in the third minute of stoppage time.

REFEREE

Mike Dean (Wirral)

SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM

WIGAN ATHLETIC

Club stats

Fixtures

12th 22 points

Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 9th

Lowest could fall: 16th

1. Won only one of the last seven Premiership outings (0-2 at West Ham on 6 December).

2. Last lost in excess of two Premiership matches on the trot in May, when the last campaign ended on a three-game losing sequence.

3. Lost the last two, home to Arsenal and Sheffield United, by 0-1 margins. Not scored in 246 minutes (four hours six minutes) since Henri Camara opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough at the Riverside on 9 December.

4. Scored 20 League goals (10 at home, 10 away).

5. Lost eight Premiership matches (four at home, four away).

6. Scored the opening goal in 11 of their 18 top flight fixtures. Only Chelsea (15) and Manchester United (13) exceed that.

7. Netted more goals in the first five minutes of Premiership matches than any other club (four), and only one in the last 10 minutes. Conceded more goals in Premiership stoppage time than any other club (three).

8. The current tally of 22 points after 18 games compares to 31 points at this stage in their only previous Premiership campaign last season, when they had 34 points after the first 19 games.

9. Effectively dropped more points from winning positions than any other club in the Premiership (13). They lost home to Manchester United and away to Blackburn and Tottenham and drew, home to Watford and away to Middlesbrough, having led in all five games.

10. Lost the last three home League games to Liverpool, Arsenal and Sheffield United, and not scored in four at the JJB, or 372 minutes (six hours 12 minutes) since Matt Jackson got the winner in the 3-2 victory over Charlton on 11 November.

CHELSEA

Club stats

Fixtures

2nd 42 points

Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 1st

Lowest could fall: 2nd

1. Won seven more League games than Wigan (13 to six), and scored 10 more goals (30 to 20). Won twice as many away League matches as the Latics have at home (six to three) and lost half as many away as Wigan have at home (two to four).

2. Only Manchester United have won more Premiership games than Chelsea (14 to 13), scored more goals (38 to 30), conceded fewer (10 to 11) and dropped fewer points (10 to 12). Both the top two clubs have been beaten twice.

3. Claimed 17 points out of 21, since losing 2-1, away to Tottenham on 5 November.

4. Lost one of the last 16 League outings.

5. The only club to have scored in every Premiership game this season.

6. On the longest runs in the Premiership for scoring in successive games (18) and since losing by more than a single goal (30 matches). Not registered a goalless draw in 24 top tier outings.

7. Opened the scoring in 15 of the 18 top tier encounters, and conceded the opening goal in three - that's a top League best on both counts.

8. Kept more Premiership clean sheets than any other club (10) and one of five clubs holding a 100% record when a top tier shut-out has been achieved.

9. The current tally of 42 points after 18 games is the club's lowest return to this stage, in three seasons.

10. Won six of the last eight away in the top tier, losing only one of the eight.

KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES

WIGAN ATHLETIC

Squad profiles

Henri CAMARA is Wigan's top scorer with six goals, all scored in the Premiership.

Emmerson BOYCE and Chris KIRKLAND are the only remaining players to have started each of the Latics' League fixtures this season.

Suspended: Lee McCULLOCH

CHELSEA

Squad profiles

Didier DROGBA is the highest scoring Premiership player this season with 17 goals, 10 of which are League goals putting him at the top of the table for the Barclays Golden Boot award.

DROGBA is one short of netting 50 goals for Chelsea.

Only Michael ESSIEN has figured in every minute of every one of Chelsea's League and Cup matches this season.

If he figures in this game, ESSIEN will be making his 50th Premiership appearance for the Blues.

If he plays, Ricardo CARVALHO will be making his 100th appearance in a Chelsea shirt.

If on the field from the outset, ASHLEY COLE will be making his 250th club career start (Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Chelsea).

If selected in the 11, Claude MAKELELE will be making his 150th start for the Stamford Bridge club.

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME

Wigan Athletic 0-1 Chelsea

14 August 2003 - Ref: Mark Clattenburg

Chelsea scorer: Crespo 90

HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS

Home and away

League: Wigan 0 wins, Chelsea 2, Draws 0

Prem: Wigan 0 wins, Chelsea 2, Draws 0

at Wigan only

League: Wigan 0 wins, Chelsea 1, Draws 0

Prem: Wigan 0 wins, Chelsea 1, Draws 0

Edited December 23, 2006 by Seapok

Seapok · December 23, 2006

Wycombe face Chelsea in cup semis

Wycombe's reward for upsetting Charlton in the Carling Cup is a semi-final against Premiership champions Chelsea.

The League Two outfit will host Jose Mourinho's side on 9 or 10 January, with the away leg two weeks later.

The other last four encounter will see Tottenham take on the winner of the postponed quarter-final between Liverpool and Arsenal.

Spurs will host the first leg on 17 January and will travel to Anfield or the Emirates Stadium one week later.

The quarter-final between Liverpool and Arsenal has been rearranged for 9 January.

Wycombe beat Premiership strugglers Charlton in the quarter-finals thanks to a goal from Jermaine Easter.

Manager Paul Lambert was delighted to draw Chelsea.

"It's a terrific tie. Regardless of who we got it was always going to be tough. It's a terrific achievement and we've earned the right to be there," he said.

"It's a massive game for us against a team that can win the Champions League, never mind the Premiership."

muckypups · December 24, 2006

Good morming gentlemen, thought I'd post this lengthy inteview with Abramovich from the "Observer", it's quite interesting:

Inside the hidden world of Roman's empire

In his first interview for three years, Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea FC, explains his relationship with the Kremlin, dismisses rumours of divorce, and reveals why he is quitting as governor of Chukotka

David Smith in Moscow

Sunday December 24, 2006

The Observer

'He's very quiet,' says one of Roman Abramovich's closest aides. 'Shy would be a word to describe him.' There have been many others: ruthless, generous, audacious, calculating, visionary. But shy? A strange adjective to describe one of the world's richest and most powerful men - the Russian oligarch who dared to seize English football by the throat.

Then again, no one can quite be sure what to expect on meeting Abramovich for the first time. So little is known of his past, or of his views on business, politics or sport, that guesswork and speculation have fleshed out the man. Was there something untoward about the way he amassed his billions in the 'cowboy capitalism' of Nineties' Russia? How and why has he retained the patronage of President Vladimir Putin while other businessmen were exiled or jailed? What would football look like without him? What will football look like once he has gone?

Well, now we know a little more. In his first interview anywhere in the world for three years, Abramovich talked to The Observer about why he took on English football and insists that his big spending will not destroy the game. He seeks to demolish myths about his childhood and life among London's Russian elite. In the wake of the Litvinenko poisoning affair, he answers and sometimes evades questions about his ties with the Kremlin and why he has quit as governor of a region three times the size of the UK where, by any measure, he has performed an act of extraordinary philanthropy.

Forty years old, 'the quiet oligarch' is sitting in a varnished boardroom in the office of his finance company a short walk from Red Square. At the back of the room is a small picture of Putin and a sculpture of a long fish, given to Abramovich as a gift. On the oak table sit bottles of Evian water - a constant companion to the almost teetotaller on his travels. There is no sign of a security guard.

Like his fellow billionaire Bill Gates, Abramovich is unexpectedly slight. His recent visit to a clinic in Austria was not, as reported, to cope with stress but to shed a couple of kilos in weight. He has receding brown hair, his customary designer stubble and azure-blue eyes. More comfortable in jumpers and jeans, today he is wearing a dark grey suit with thin pinstripes, his blue shirt open at the collar and tieless. Despite his estimated wealth of £10.8bn, the second highest personal fortune in Britain, he sports a chunky Eighties-style digital watch. It doesn't look expensive.

In the first part of the interview the main topic is Chukotka, the icy region in Russia's remote north-east corner where Abramovich has been governor for six years and poured in hundreds of millions of pounds of his own money building schools and equipping hospitals. He speaks Russian with the voice of a bashful public speaker who nevertheless knows his audience will hang on every word. He once reluctantly agreed to be heard on BBC television, but today he has banned even the use of a dictaphone.

On his right is Sasha Borodin, his assistant and interpreter, and John Mann, an American who is Abramovich's spokesman and rumour sweeper: he describes reports that Irina Abramovich recently consulted divorce lawyers as 'definitely not true'. Abramovich sits with arms folded, looking like a man ill at ease. Shy, actually, would be the word.

When the conversation moves on to football, however, he is palpably more relaxed. He does not even take offence when it is put to him that by licensing a bottomless pit of cash, and a scattergun approach to the transfer market, he threatens to turn football into a rich man's game dominated by a global elite.

'I don't see the risk of that,' he said. 'Money plays an important role in football but it is not the dominating factor. When Chelsea play a Carling Cup game in a small city and it could result in a draw - the excitement, the spirit, the atmosphere - that's the real beauty of football in England.'

Abramovich, who made his fortune from oil when Russia's public utilities were privatised in the Nineties, was unknown in Britain until he turned football upside down by buying Chelsea three years ago. He has poured an estimated half a billion pounds into writing off the club's debts and buying players at extravagant prices.

His largesse has caused resentment that goes beyond the normal envy from fans. Chelsea, with its stated ambition of becoming the biggest club in the world, has also become one of the most hated. It has flouted transfer regulations and left a sour taste in many mouths across Europe at the way Abramovich does business. Too aggressive? For once there was a long pause. 'It's difficult to say,' he said at last, in what sounded like a concession. But he then went on to speak off the record and make clear that he feels Chelsea should not be singled out.

No one knows how long the Abramovich empire will last. An employee who has known him for several years warned: 'He gets enthusiastic about things but it doesn't last long. He was enthusiastic about oil for a few years but then got out. It will be the same with Chukotka. It will be the same with football.'

Abramovich, however, is aware of the charge and had an answer ready: 'People who know me said I will win one or two Premierships and will not be interested after that. The reality is that we've won two Premierships but I'm more excited about this particular season than last year or the year before. I am a fan of special nature. I'm getting excited before every single game. The trophy at the end is less important than the process itself.'

Abramovich is part of the rich Russian set that has colonised London's most exclusive neighbourhoods. He has a house in Belgravia worth an estimated £28m as well as an £18m estate in West Sussex. His wife, Irina, a former air stewardess, enjoys the city life and the couple's five children go to English schools. But Abramovich - who also owns a £10m St Tropez villa, two superyachts and a Boeing 767 - does not necessarily regard the British capital as home. 'I live on a plane. I like to visit London. If I had to think where I could live if not Moscow, London would be my first choice and second would be New York. In Moscow I feel most comfortable. I'm used to four different seasons; it's difficult for people in London to understand. People brought up in Russia like my kids want to play in the snow.'

Does money buy you happiness? 'It cannot buy you happiness,' he said. 'Some independence, yes.'

Cold War enmities die hard and the mysterious murder in London of Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB spy killed by polonium 210, revived the spectre of Russian authoritarianism and foul play. Abramovich claimed to have no opinion on the matter and expressed his faith in 'detectives' to solve it.

He also insisted that he has never been threatened in London and that accounts of his armed bodyguards are exaggerated. He laughed off suggestions that his security precautions include a lookalike to confuse would-be assassins. He claimed that not even the British press, which photographed him and his wife out shopping as rumours about the marriage swirled, have ruffled him. 'I can understand the British media and why they are doing that. It does not add up to much. I'm used in my life to not paying much attention to some things.'

Litvinenko's sinister death was a blow to the image of the gilded circle of Russian expats, but the most famous of them all professes ignorance about how Britain perceives him. A certain steeliness behind the eyes suggests he does not care much.

At the end of the earth and a little bit further is a place called Chukotka. Nine times zones and 4,375 miles east of Moscow, even Russians need a special permit to visit. It took the Soviet revolution two years to reach the frozen waste, when a tiny band of Bolsheviks brought the news that private enterprises were now state property - only for local capitalists to shoot them dead. But communism eventually took hold and the region, 24 miles across the Bering Strait from Alaska, became the front line in the Cold War.

Chukotka straddles the Arctic Circle and its nine-month winter can witness temperatures as low as -60C. It is one of the most hostile environments on the planet, home to just 50,000 people and thousands of miles of nothingness. In the troubled Nineties, wages went unpaid and people starved or walked miles across the frozen tundra to eat a scrap of seaweed or whale blubber. Chukotka was described as a 'post-Soviet pit of despair'; its residents, so the joke has it, consider Siberia a good place for a holiday.

It is hard to imagine a world further removed from that of pampered millionaire footballers, yet this was the first pet project of Abramovich and his fabulous wealth. He arrived as a former student and rubber-duck salesman who had made a killing as the protege of Boris Berezovsky, one of the businessmen who snapped up Russia's state assets at bargain prices as the country plunged into capitalism. When Berezovsky fell foul of Putin, Abramovich bought his mentor's stakes in Sibneft, the oil giant, and Aeroflot, the national airline, and emerged as an oligarch in his own right. Business opponents accused him of ruthless dealing and he was once investigated by the authorities but cleared; allegations of wrongdoing have never stuck.

He had not set foot in Chukotka until the autumn of 1999 but soon became its representative in the Russian parliament and then ran for governor, flying to dozens of remote villages and listening patiently for hours on end to numerous gripes. There were no charismatic set piece speeches - not his style - but he won the election with nearly 100 per cent of the vote, the sort of figure which usually alarms democrats, and took office in 2001. Abramovich spared his family a move but registered as a Chukotka taxpayer, brought Sibneft with him and created two charities whose projects included giving all the region's children an annual holiday somewhere warm. In all he has channelled an estimated £770m into Chukotka and attracted a further £500m inward investment. Critics believe that he was anxious to show Putin and other patriotic Russians his willingness to put the wealth he made on the back of natural resources back into the country, so avoiding the fate of Yukos oil baron Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a politically ambitious critic of the president now serving a prison sentence for tax evasion. But Abramovich's charitable work in Chukotka started before Putin became hammer of the oligarchs.

Abramovich appears weary of the speculation around why he chose the bleak outpost. 'Everyone's got their own reason. Some believe it's because I spent some of my childhood in the far north that I helped Chukotka, some believe it's because I had a difficult childhood that I helped Chukotka, some believe it's because I stole money that I helped Chukotka. None of these is real. When you come out and you see a situation and there are 50,000 people, you want to do something. I haven't seen anything worse than what I saw there in my life.'

Is it the obligation of every billionaire to give a portion of their wealth away? 'If you want to please everyone, the answer would be yes. But charity is a very complicated thing. It's important to find an area where you can really help and you can feel the results. Charity is not like feeding pigeons in the square. It is a process that requires professional management.'

It would take a special kind of cynic not to be impressed by the results. According to Abramovich's press office, 18 new schools have been built, a further 18 rebuilt and new computers, televisions, text books, free meals and therapy facilities provided to pupils. The once-threatened indigenous cultures and languages of the Chukchi and Inuit minorities are back on the curriculum. Twenty-eight hospitals and medical centres have been constructed. In Anadyr, the regional capital, there is a cinema, hotel, museum, supermarket and cultural centre. There is a German-themed restaurant, inspired by Abramovich's visit to the Oktoberfest in Munich five years ago. He always sits at the same table in a quiet corner and likes to play billiards upstairs.

The office claims life expectancy in Chukotka has risen by three years and the birthrate has increased by almost 50 per cent to become the highest in Russia. Infant mortality has been more than halved, giving Chukotka one of the 10 best records of any region in the country - previously it was among the 10 worst.

Children have been at the heart of this grand social project. Much of Abramovich's own childhood was spent with an uncle in an inhospitable northern region, Komi, after he was orphaned at the age of two and a half. These formative years have been described by others as miserable but Abramovich was keen to correct the impression: 'To tell the truth I cannot call my childhood bad. In your childhood you can't compare things: one eats carrots, one eats candy, both taste good. As a child you cannot tell the difference.'

Last week Abramovich's lieutenants took journalists on a tour of Chukotka schools and hospitals. Staff spoke of a miraculous transformation and hailed Abramovich as a messiah. Alexander Maslov, head doctor at the Chukotka regional hospital, recalled: 'In February 2002, the governor invited me to look around the hospital and I wanted to shoot myself because it was so terrible. It was very old, the roofs were leaking, paint was peeling off the walls.' Now the hospital has been completely modernised and Maslov is the luckiest doctor in the world: 'We've got everything we want,' he said.

Reindeer husbandry, a way of life for the Chukchi, has also been saved. Left to the free market, the reindeer herd dwindled from half a million to just 96,000 as animals were eaten out of desperation, and herders lost their jobs and turned to drink. Abramovich-funded subsidies have restored the herd to 200,000 and given the Chukchi wages and hunting weapons. Reindeer herders Aleksei Omrynkau, 57, and his wife Katy, 56, a Chukchi couple, have spent their lives in the sub-Arctic tundra and live in a teepee, or yaranga, made from reindeer skins. Aleksei said: 'In the Nineties there was no money at all and people paid with produce. It's like Soviet times again now: the wages, food supply and social structure are better.' The Omrynkaus have one of the most remote homes conceivable, surrounded by a blanket of white, about 20 miles from the next human habitation. Yet even they have heard of Chelsea's football team. 'I read about it in a magazine in the village,' said Aleksei. 'I'm proud of the governor.'

Abramovich's departure has been cited as evidence that he has lost interest in his native country altogether; last year he sold Sibneft to Gazprom, the state-run gas giant, making himself even richer. But he has billions of pounds invested in Russian steel, pharmaceuticals, property, food processing and magazine publishing, and donates to youth academies for music, science and sport and to several Jewish charities.

When it comes to currying favour with the Kremlin, he has scarcely put a foot wrong. He denies striking any deals and points out that the governorship did not guarantee him political immunity. Yet he will not join criticism of Putin despite growing fears about the direction of a country where journalists have been murdered, suspects tortured in police custody and business corruption is rife. 'In my personal opinion Russia is no less democratic than it used to be,' was his artful comment. Was it ever democratic? 'It is a democratic country. It is democratic enough.'

Khodorkovsky is serving an eight-year sentence in a Siberian penal colony. Berezovsky is in exile in London. Abramovich might appear to be the Kremlin's favourite oligarch. 'Do you mean compared to those who found themselves in exile?' he asked. 'I've never tried to impose pressure on the authority of the government through my business achievements. I cannot tell you what the others were doing.'

The English pronoun 'you' translates into Russian in two ways: vy as a polite form, and ty for addressing friends. When Abramovich meets Putin, he uses vy. 'He is more senior than me,' he explained. The interview done, Abramovich poses for photographs and parts with a smile and wave, his gentle demeanour and lean figure at odds with the fabled marauding Russian bear. He is not one to roar about anything; this instinctively quiet man recognises when silence can serve him better than words. As the multi-billion pound fortune grows, the world waits for him to find a new 'toy'. But winning in life, as in football, can be a fragile business. 'There is a Russian proverb,' he muses, 'You never say that you'll never be in jail or never be poor.' Yet another reason to keep your head down.

The Abramovich CV

Born: Saratov, a town on the Volga river in southern Russia, on 24 October 1966. His mother died from blood poisoning and his father, a building worker, was killed in a construction site accident, leaving him an orphan before his third birthday.

Education: Studied at the Industrial Institute in Ukhta, Komi; drafted to military service; gained a law degree from Moscow State Law Academy in less than a year.

Business interests: Made his fortune from oil, aluminium and airline Aeroflot. Now owns assets in steel, pharmaceuticals, property, food processing and magazine publishing - and Chelsea Football Club, which he bought for £140m in 2003.

Political interests: About to step down after six years as governor of Chukotka, in far north-east Russia.

Estimated wealth: £10.8bn, making him the second richest man in Britain behind steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.

Family: Married Olga, a divorcee three years his senior, in 1987 but separated two years later. Now married to Irina, a former air stewardess, with whom he has five children.

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