We’ve got contributors from all over India, yours truly included. Check it out!

That is all.

The Final 3rd

Follow The Final 3rd on Twitter!

See what I did there? Inspired by Spurs (don’t worry, I’ll wash my mouth with soap afterwards) making good use of the 5-1 scoreline against Ar5ena1, I came up with this little gem of a title. Genius.

*ducks to avoid the dozen or so rotten tomatoes and eggs*

Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, allow me to present my first match review after a very, very long time. Of course, you may ask what is there to review? The scoreline of 7-1 says it all, really. Well, that is technically correct.

Still, I want to write something and a something I shall write. Yesterday was a match that was billed as one of those which could make or break our season. But after the initial hiccup when Villa equalized through John Carew, it was Chelsea all the way. Scoring 7 once in a season is noteworthy. But twice? That, my friends, requires something special. And yesterday it was special. We had Malouda terrorising the Villa right-back all game and bagging 2 goals for the second successive game. And Yuri Zhirkov too decided to join in the attack twice, earning 2 penalties for each foray into the opposition box.

Super Frank was at it again, taking his season’s tally past the 20 goal mark yet again with 4 (yes, four) goals against a hapless Villa side which came into this game as the only unbeaten team in 2010. I guess they had it coming.

Salomon Kalouless came on later and he too chipped in with a goal which must have made Martin O’Neill wish the earth would open up and swallow him. It didn’t.

So 7-1 it was in the end. Chelsea were seemingly on seventh heaven while it was a hellish nightmare for Aston Villa. After a few minutes at the top of the table, Manchester United went back to the top after beating Bolton Wanderers 4-0. And if you’re not aware, we’ll be visiting them in Manchester next week for a game that is billed as the title decider.

I’ll leave you with the comment made by a Villa fan that I happened to read on a forum today. Till then, take care and Keep The Blue Flag Flying High!

Villa Fan: Woken up this morning by my girlfriend saying ‘Get up, it is 8′. I thought, ‘Oh no, they’ve not effing scored again have they?’

No, it's not Chelsea vs ManU

I never actually expected to be able to watch the match, having been deprived of my weekly dose of the Premier League since the past three months. However, in a surprising turn of events, a couple of friends took over the common television that hangs by the poolside right after dinner and switched the channel to ESPN. A handful of protestations were swiftly silenced after a few more people joined in to watch the big match at 9:30 PM. Now the stage was set – we had 3 Chelsea fans, a couple of ManU fans and an Arsenal fan who was hoping for a draw, in addition to a few neutrals.

The match began in a cagey manner, typical of such encounters. Every tackle, shot on goal and piece of skill was greeted with oohs and aahs by our enthusiastic bunch of football fans. And we also had the obligatory discussions about the best players, how much ManU are missing Ronaldo and will Fergie blame the ref again if ManU lose. After the opening 45 minutes had produced a 0-0 scoreline, we awaited the second half with bated breath, hoping to see a genuine goal-scoring threat from either team ( preferably The Blues).

The second half was almost a carbon-copy of the first one, until a controversial decision to award a freekick to Chelsea resulted in John Terry putting the Blues ahead with a headed goal. 1-0 to Chelsea it was, and the ManU players on the pitch were fuming. What folowed was more than just a football match, with loads of shirt-tugging, tripping the opposition players and time-wasting being more prominent than the football itself. But inspite of United’s continued protests and frustration, as well as the referee’s erratic decision-making, Chelsea hung on to record yet another victory. We are now the league leaders with a 5 point advantage over the second-placed team.

Okay, so the game wasn’t a classic but it was my first experience watching a match with friends and foes (of course, with regards to allegiances only). And I gotta say, it was bloody awesome! Taunting the rival fans when we’re playing well and appreciating the opposition players when they play well is something that is usually restricted only to message-boards, forums or the stadium. But here, we enjoyed every bit of it and had a great time. And of course, the 34″ LCD TV had a big part to play as well.

So a great ending to the weekend and I managed to have a good night’s sleep, which is why this blog o’ mine is alive and kicking once again.

And here’s what the scene looks like after the picture underwent some lazy editing:

Vermaelen (Gladiator) saves Silvestre (Damsel in distress)

I could have aded speech bubbles too, but the picture says it all.

I was so bored.

Yuri Zhirkov - CSKA Moscow to Chelsea

Yuri Zhirkov – also known as the Russian Ronaldinho – has completed his move from CSKA Moscow to Chelsea today. The left-sided full-back/winger joins Chelsea fter a glowing recommendation from Guus Hiddink, the former Chelsea manager and current coach of the Russian national team.

Zhirkov would provide competition to Florent Malouda on the left flank as well as back-up to Ashley Cole at left-back. His stellar performances at Euro 2008 culminated in being nominated for the Ballon d’Or award.

Take a look at his goal against Hamburg to see what he is capable of:

So let’s hope he can show us some of these skills in a Chelsea shirt. Welcome to Stamford Bridge, Yuri!

Read the official announcement here.

Even before reading the headlines on news sites, it was a foregone conclusion that the scribes would have latched on to the classic L’Oreal ad punchline – ‘Because I’m Worth It’. So why should I stay back? Here’s a little something I conjured up on this topic:

Cristiano Ronaldo - He's Worth It!

All that effort I put into Photoshopping was worth it, methinks.

Daniel Sturridge - Manchester City to Chelsea

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of 19-year old striker Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City. Sturridge is an England youth international and was a free agent after his contract with City expired. However, since he is less than 24 years old Manchester City will receive a compensation for his development costs, decided by an independent tribunal.

Sturridge joins Ross Turnbull as our second major signing this season. Welcome to Chelsea, Danny and wish you all the best.

Read the official announcement here.

Ross Turnbull - Boro to Chelsea

Chelsea FC have announced their first signing of the season – goalkeeper Ross Turnbull on a free transfer from Middlesbrough. The 24-year old goalkeeper will contest for the substitute goalkeeper spot with Hilario who has also signed a new 2 year deal. And maybe Turnbull could even push Cech for his starting place in a couple of years.

The addition of Turnbull means another English player in the Chelsea ranks, which would prove handy with regard to the 6+5 rule in Europe. Here’s wishing Ross all the very best and a very warm welcome to Stamford Bridge.

Read the official announcement here.