Happy days as Premiership action returns this weekend and Chelsea have a chance to lay the ghost of the disappointing defeat at Villa a couple of weeks ago with a home game against Blackburn Rovers and former Chelsea legend, Mark Hughes who is Rovers manager.
Rovers are on an unbeaten 14 match domestic run and the last team to beat Rovers..... yep you guessed... It was Chelsea in last season's FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford which yours truly was there.
In fact Chelsea and Blackburn played each other FOUR times last season (twice in the League, once in the Carling Cup and the above mentioned FA Cup) and Chelsea WON all four games. Two 2-0 matches at Ewood Park, 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and 2-1 at Old Trafford after extra time).
Before that however Blackburn had the hoodoo over Chelsea for a considerable amount of years. Blackburn's last Premiership victory was in 2006 when they won 1-0 at Ewood Park, prior to that was a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge in 2003.
The real hoodoo period was between 1988 and 1998 where Chelsea's only win was a penalty shoot-out competition 4-1 in the League Cup after a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. Prior to that date Chelsea's last League victory was in the Football League play-offs in 1988 when Chelsea won 4-1 at Stamford Bridge. All in all in this period the teams played each other sixteen times with Chelsea acheiving just two victories including the League Cup penalty shoot-out.
As for tomorrow's game Jose has announced that Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba are out of the squad and that Andriy Shevchenko is in the squad and 'will get minutes.' How many? Who knows!!
Rovers manager and ex-legend Mark Hughes believes his team can continue their unbeaten domestic run and end Chelsea's unbeaten League record at home which has lasted for 65 games, for me I reach a milestone!!!
In all my years of following Chelsea Football Club I have never experienced a 5.15pm kick off on a Saturday afternoon/evening.
I have done the 3pm's, 4pm's (on Sunday), 5pm's (on Sunday), 11 o'clocks, 11.30am's, middays, half-past 1, 7.30pm's, 7.45's and the 8 o'clocks (midweek). Well you know where you stand with a 3pm kick off on a Saturday, next thing TV will be paying for 7, 8 or even 9 o'clock kick offs on a Saturday!!!!! Load of bollocks..... but there is one consolation. At least I can get to see Liverpool (the SCUM) lose at Portsmouth (Hopefully)!!!
What do you do after a 5.15pm kick off on a Saturday night when you got to get home? - Saturday night is f**cked when you won't get home till 9pm there or thereabouts - but that's TV money for you!!!
KTBFFH