Capello gets it right in friendly farce

No wonder they say the England manager has the hardest job in the country.

In a ninety minute friendly against a side ranked lower than Greece, Norway and Japan in the world, Fabio Capello has to satisfy the demands of players, managers, TV bosses, opponents, Wembley executives and the footballing public. He cannot win.

The Italian coach has come in for widespread criticism in making wholesale changes to the England line up for tonight’s meaningless international with Ghana.

Five players still involved in Champions League duties have been released back to their clubs whilst the other members of his first choice starting line-up from Saturday’s 2-0 European Championships qualifier win over Wales are expected to sit out as Capello experiments with fringe players and youngsters.

Andy Carroll now has another chance after impressing on debut against France. Danny Welbeck has been summoned on form for Sunderland and the U21’s and the likes of Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Michael Dawson, Gary Cahill and Matt Jarvis will all be rewarded with the opportunities to demonstrate their credentials on the international scene after a long toil with their clubs.

Such shadow sides will be commonplace this week with the majority of international teams expected to experiment ahead of the important climax of domestic seasons.

Monday’s sports columns were awash with testaments to the new Brazilian star Neymar after the nineteen-year-old scored twice against Scotland to put a face to the name of South America’s latest boy wonder.

It’s worth noting that it was only Neymar’s third cap for the samba boys and came about after the likes of Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho, Robinho and Kaka were all omitted.

In terms of team affairs, Capello has got it spot on. The result that mattered was impressively attained and the result which doesn’t matter has been prefixed with the sort of selection which looks at the bigger picture. The England scene cannot be a closed shop and fixtures such as this are, have been and always will be treated with an element of theory.

Capello has never been far off the radar of sceptics under enamoured with his £7m a year salary and indifferent results, but much of the scorn sent his way for his indifference to this game have come from the fans who feel he is undermining their support.

Attending Wembley tonight to see the Three Lions second string will cost a minimum of £50 but little has been made of the Dick Turpin-esque football association pricing scheme. To see Brazil play there three days prior cost a reasonable £30 whilst the November friendly with the French could have been attended for just £15.

The game is only expected to be a sell-out because around 30,000 Ghanaians have bought tickets to see their nation’s first appearance at the home of football, yet few of these will have flown in from Accra and their own star player and captain Michael Essien has also opted out of playing.

Fabio Capello’s sole responsibility is the welfare of the England football team and in shuffling his pack he has dealt a fare deck to all the playing facets concerned. Players who have played and will continue to play, won’t play. Those players who haven’t played will do and provide Capello with further options and opinions as he sculpts a squad towards the aims of Euro 2012 success.

Eventually Capello will be judged on his fare at major tournaments and after the World Cup debacle, things need to be corrected for Ukraine and Poland. A decent result and performance tonight will be quickly forgotten if the side flop again and similarly, all will be forgiven if Capello can usher England towards glory in eighteen months time.

Ghana tonight does not matter. Capello is not devaluing his is de-prioritising. But when was the last time we learnt anything from an England friendly anyway?

John Terry; More sinner than saint but the best man to lead England

Whether you believe John Terry should be England captain or not comes down to whether you take a moral or a footballing stance.

There’s no disputing Terry has a charge sheet longer than the average and some of his indiscretions have been crass, loutish, thoughtless, tactless and largely indefensible. Fabio Capello’s necessity to strip him of the England captaincy in February last year was wholly justified for team reasons alone, regardless that his alleged dalliance with Wayne Bridge’s former other half was once again completely irresponsible for a man in his position.

If we continue along this meandering moral route then the Terry issue can invertedly wind back on itself and crossover. Focussing solely on behavioural and personal issues, we venture into the realms of hypocrisy and contradiction, and in the end, little reasoning.

During a career that has spanned over a decade Terry has essentially been involved in a handful of drunken incidents and more than a handful of salacious tabloid sex tales. There have been other misdemeanors and circumstances he won’t remember fondly but when we put this into context, do such vices not occur across all walks of this country in varying ages, sexes, races, classes and minds?

To many England fans Terry is vehemently denounced whilst George Best is lauded for similar shenanigans. Terry is incomparable to that legendary gentleman, Sir Bobby Moore - the man who left his wife for a teenage air hostess and Terry will never be revered like Tony Adams was for his Euro 96 antics, despite Adams being sent down for drink driving and once appearing on the front pages for firing a flare gun into a disabled toilet.

According to some he’s a poor role model for the nations kids, but how many of those same kids want to achieve in the sport what Terry has achieved? How many of those kids parents are poor role models to them, and how many of those kids will grow to have the aptitude, attitude and commitment to become one of the very elite in his field? Terry is far from perfect and deserves to be judged, but there are standards but they should not be doubles.

Moving away from principled reasoning against, paramount to Capello’s u-turn was what was best for the England football team, as a team, on the pitch. The World Cup charade highlighted the general lack of leadership within the ranks and the sight of the armband being tossed around like an oily rag against Denmark last month was a true slant on the likes of Moore and Adams who fought so hard to earn the right to wear it.

Capello’s incumbency of Rio Ferdinand failed through little fault of his own but ongoing injury doubts have brought us circular after Steven Gerrard completely failed to impose himself in South Africa and beyond and too has been regularly prone to injury.

Since the Italian took over the reigns, Terry has played in 127 of Chelsea’s 156 games at over 80%. During the same span, Ferdinand has player less than half of Manchester United’s games. Ferdinand, regardless of how good when fit is rarely fit and cannot be relied upon to go through the next 15 months consistently enough to rudder the side through European Championship qualification and the event itself.

Recent home humblings by Macedonia and France have piled pressure on Capello to deliver and he has chosen to turn to the man that has always been and always will be this side’s natural captain. In his first press-briefing back, whilst admitting that he ‘wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea’, he also told the nation that in footballing terms, within that squad nobody has a problem with him and that the squad as a whole back him as skipper. They know too that John Terry is the best and strongest leader for them as individuals and as a team.

It is easy to forget that virtually all of our footballers have some indiscretions lurking and few can legitimately take a moral standpoint. The England football captaincy is not about giving it to somebody to represent the country, it is about getting one man to get the best out of the rest for the good of the team to represent the country. That man, is John Terry.

Real Madrid Focus - Dodgy doping and dubious injury plots part of Real’s quiet week

It is another international week which means no la Liga action for a fortnight but of course that does not mean that things are any quieter down at the Santiago Bernabeu.

As the players jet off to various climbs to represent their countries, domestically there is the small matter of the Barcelona doping allegations to consider, with Real Madrid also implicated in the affair. However, what potentially could have been a seismic scandal has been downgraded in recent days after the truth emerged to get in the way of a decent story.

Pliant in the misunderstanding between Spain’s two superpowers was a little known journalist by the name of Juan Antonio Alcala who’s ambiguous radio report became misconstrued into a notion that Barcelona were in some way at the centre of a doping controversy.

What started out as a scoop on Los Blancos pursuing the Spanish Football federation for tighter doping controls resulted in the Catalans being insinuated with ‘dodgy doctors’ and doping malpractice. This nuance was seized upon by the rest of the Spanish press whom, often favouring one facet or another - and even more regularly trying to hyperbolise the rivalry between the two for self-gain - suggestively suggested that Barca believed their old foes had stitched them. A strategy boosted by former Los Blaugrana president Joan Laporta stating that he believed that Real were behind the affair.

Fortunately though, in a somewhat rare show of bonhomie between the two giants, members of each sides high command have gone on record to exonerate the other of any wrongdoing and thus douse the flickerings of flames of conflict before they began to burn.

Also being produced from within the bowels of the Bernabeu over the international break is a melodrama titled “Is he really injured?” featuring Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo. Although the narrative and outcome are immediately given away by the identity of it’s two protagonists, it’s nonetheless a source of discussion both in Spain and England ahead of Real’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League quarter finals.

The worlds most expensive player missed two la Liga games recently with a hamstring injury but managed a miraculous recovery for the european victory over Lyon and derby defeat of Atletico - despite having been previously ruled out of both games in the initial prognosis.

The Portuguese flyer subsequently re-injured himself late in the El Derbi madrileno with his side 2-0 up. The recurrence of the hamstring strain is considered too severe for CR7 to contemplate playing in portugal’s upcoming friendlies against Chile and Finland, with ‘reports’ coming from the Madrid based press exclaiming that their star-man will also indeed be missing for the visit of Spurs in two weeks time.

Quite who is supposed to be convinced by this carry-on is unclear. Certainly Harry Redknapp won’t be taken in by it and nor will Sporting Gijon coach Manuel Preciado be surprised by Mourinho’s late April fools jape when the sides meet on April 3.

Manchester City ratings

Joe Hart 6; Wasn’t regularly tested as Chelsea’s moves petered out. Could do little about either of the goals.

Micah Richards 6.5; Is becoming a well rounded defender to complement an imposing physique. Shackled most of Chelsea’s forays down his flank as City fought impressively to keep their goal guarded.

Vincent Kompany 7.5; City’s go-to defender in the big games was an assured presence doing more than did his bit holding the backline together until the end.

Joleon Lescott 6; Muscled up well next to Kompany but was given ample support by the full backs under duress not to venture forward. Dealt with what came his way but was caught flat footed by Luiz’s dart for the first and was exposed by Ramires’s nifty motion for the second.

Aleksandar Kolarov 6; Suspect at left-back and was bettered by Ramires in their dual. Culpable with Lescott for the opener and scattergun delivery when going forward looks good but lacks accuracy and effectiveness.

Nigel De Jong 7; Constant disrupter in the middle of the park as he hassled and harried Chelsea for the entire game. Provides a formidable cornerstone of the side and recycles the ball innately.

Gareth Barry 6; City’s middle of the road man doesn’t do one thing or another. Combative in parts, Barry couldn’t stop the flow of chelsea as effectively as De Jong and never influenced the game when in possession.

Yaya Toure 6; Some neat touches but wasn’t involved enough and was conspicuous for large parts. Never fully convinces that he actually wants to be out there and became more withdrawn as Chelsea monopolised play.

David Silva 6.5; Flittered around without controlling the game in patches such as he did at Old Trafford. Busy and intuitive with the ball, Silva’s effect is restricted by the conservatism of the team and many of his probing wanders were not supported sufficiently enough by team-mates to carry a sustained threat. Another that would benefit from the shackles being loosened.

Eden Dzeko 5; Did well in Germany but so did David Hasselhoff. Isolated as the lone front-runner but didn’t offer enough when Silva and Yaya were on it and was too easy to boss by Terry. Has undoubted class but again not best utilised by Mancini’s pragmatism.

Substitutions

Adam Johnson 5; Brought on to conjour and equaliser but could not come into play as City wilted after recent exertions.

Mario Balotelli 5; Introduced with Johnson to the same outcome.

Chelsea player ratings

Petr Cech 6.5; Made a decent early stop from Yaya Toure but was otherwise untested by City’s lack of a forward threat. Efficiently mopped up the few crosses and balls the visitors did throw into his box.

Branislav Ivanovic 7; Defended infectiously as usual and went forward with enthusiasm but the Serb’s commitment often impedes his composure which effects his delivery in good areas.

John Terry 7; Showed why Fabio Capello wants him back as England captain with a signature performance of command. Marshaled his defence and team well enough not giving Eden Dzeko much change and brought the ball out regularly.

David Luiz 8; The darling of the Bridge can do no wrong. Capped another fun-filled performance with the opening goal and conducted his day job of defending with a style and grace which has already endeared him to the terraces. That’s still no hair-cut for a centre half.

Ashley Cole 6.5; Grew into proceedings as City’s presence numbed. Offered width and intent when going forward and was another member of the Blues defensive line not sufficiently tested.

Michael Essien 6.5; Gave Chelsea energy against City’s midfield stocks. Broke up play well and collected his fair share of loose ball but distribution was erratic and wasteful.

Frank Lampard 6; Did well as part of the midfield trio that got the better of their counterparts but didn’t show enough quality to orchestrate moves. Hasn’t quite rediscovered his range of passing or the timing of his arrival into the box.

Ramires 8; Chelsea’s third January signing was arguably the best player on show yesterday but had his thunder stolen by the Luiz love-in. Becoming more influential, the Brazilian gives Chelsea a tempo in midfield that has been lacking. Is showing more with the ball evident in the decisive goal.

Florent Malouda 6; Had plenty of ball as Chelsea imposed themselves but did little with it and didn’t link up well enough with Cole down the left. Part of the underwhelming forward cohort who must do better.

Salomon Kalou 6.5; Like the rest of the forwards he does bits and pieces but just not enough. Flittered around looking menacing but too often that menace meanders out and doesn’t appear any solution to the Torres conundrum. A better bet coming off the bench.

Fernando Torres 6.5; More promise but still no goals and one didn’t look likely. Showed good touches and movement to stretch City’s back four as chelsea maneuvered from different angles but most of his best work came in areas away from goal. Worked hard but lacking the clinical final cut that a £50m price tag demands. Will be interesting when this goal comes.

Substitutions

Yuri Zhirkov 6; Replaced the ineffective Malouda for a breezy final thirteen minute spell.

Didier Drogba 6.5; Given twenty minutes to change things and he did. Devilish delivery for the first goal was replicated minutes later when Kolarov almost turned in another free-kick. Drogba is best playing as a wounded beast and Ancelotti’s benching of the Ivorian could be a masterstroke if Drogba wants to prove a point during the run-in.

Nicolas Anelka 6; Sent on with Drogba and offered pace and invention as City tired rapidly before the bell.

Chelsea Daily - Ancelotti’s audition starts well

This is a two horse title race - Manchester United and Chelsea. The Reds should win it, Arsenal won’t and Chelsea could after another impressive performance and result which further eradicates the memories of their mid-season implosion.

Nine points off top spot is still not the position reigning champions should be in but title tilts are all about timing and momentum and moving into the final quarter of the campaign Chelsea resemble a growing and persistent threat to anyone harbouring Premier or Champions League ambitions. Their record buy still can’t buy himself a goal, but the all round positives are outweighing the negative of a misfiring striker.

The Blues have won four of the last five, scoring nine, conceding just two and disposing of two of the fellow top four brethren on the way. To quote Carlo Ancelotti, "We are showing good spirit and good football and all the players are fit.”

Immediate comparisons are being drawn on the differing fortunes of the january transfer acquisitions with Fernando Torres still to get off the mark whilst new darling of the Bridge David Luiz sweeps everyone off their feet with his bright eyed and bushy haired shenanigans.

But barring Luiz, Chelsea is not a place players settle in quickly. Trace the tree back to Abramovich’s arrival and not many have hit the ground running. Of yesterdays match squad, the likes of Cole, Ivanovic, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba and Anelka have all took time to ingratiate themselves into the Chelsea way before becoming integral sums of its parts. The embodiment of this theory is Ramires, scorer of the brilliant second goal capping off another increasingly influential and confident show from the little Brazilian.

The summer signing from Benfica was previously emblematic of the faceless Chelsea of mid-term as he wandered expressionlessly through the winter months unable to make any impression on a communal struggle. But much like the side itself, ‘Rambo’ has eventually found an understanding and purpose borne from the priceless commodity of games and wins. Torres obituaries are unwisely premature.

The longer the £50m Spaniard goes without a goal, the longer questions about his starting place will go on but the alternatives are hardly blasting him out of contention. Drogba has only two goals since the turn of the year with Anelka intermittent also. Equipped with four genuine forward men, Ancelotti can essentially pick and chose his hand to suit with sufficient options to come from the bench. It’s not a bad look.

Where Chelsea are now and how they got there is irrelevant, it’s what happens from here on in that matters. Prior to Sunday’s game, Chief Executive Ron Gourlay effectively put Ancelotti and the rest on audition until the end of the season by saying the club’s overlords will "see where we are at the end of May.”

That is all that Ancelotti and his men can do. A minimum of eleven games - all on these shores - is a focussed and tangible project measurable with silverware. At one point the difference between Manchester United and Chelsea was fifteen points and the divide seemed that wide. Soon, Chelsea could trim the gap to six points and to Sir Alex Ferguson it will feel that narrow. Let’s see where we are at the end of May.

Chelsea Daily - Mourinho to return?

Could Jose Mourinho really be on his way back to Stamford Bridge? On Tuesday morning William Hill’s slashed their odds from 8/1 to 11/4 after a spate of large bets were placed on the “Special One’ making a dramatic re-entrance to SW6.

The Real Madrid boss has been involved in a number of public wrangling's with the Bernabeu high command and is said to be considering his position at the end of the current campaign.

The issue was brought up once again at the pre-match Champions League press briefing where Mourinho typically doused the flames with his ambiguous rhetoric, “If I were to leave Real I would like to coach a big club in the English or Italian league. England will always represent the future for me. But I would not coach a rival of a team with whom I have been happy.”

Ever the master of spin and hyperbole, Mourinho has often verbally left the gate open for moves elsewhere - moves which then have and have not come to fruition. Press speculation, tumbling odds and cryptic warbling's from the man himself far from equate to a certain return but the potential is definately there for Mourinho to renew his vows with the club he so often professes to love.

The scenario isn’t hard to piece together for amateur sleuths, so it is worth putting a sense of perspective onto matters to analyse these prospects.

First and foremost it is likely that either way Carlo Ancelotti will be departing from the Blues dugout this summer. Roman Abramovich and co have toed the party line regarding backing Ancelotti but such a fall from grace regardless of how it eventually pans out across the remainder of the season has been hard to tolerate. Ancelotti has never fully convinced he has the ability or conviction to rebuild this ageing Chelsea squad and an amicable and mutual parting may be the best for all concerned.

After that the candidates to replace the affable Italian are slim to none. The domestic contenders could be written on the back of a stamp and barring a punt on a relatively untried overseas coach the options are limited.

Should Mourinho become available and should he return to Chelsea there are many resolutions left unsaid following his acrimonious exit last time around. Somewhere amongst the truth were suggestions Mourinho was underwhelmed with Abramovich’s interference with the owner also not too fond of Mourinho’s inflammations of the club reputation and bland football. Quite which of these facets that led to the downfall have been resolved is anyone’s guess and could also represent a ticking time-bomb should the two parties reacquaint.

Apart from the lack of an obvious successor to Ancelotti, paramount to Abramovich’s selection will be potential upcoming managerial berths at both Manchester City and United. Sir Alex Ferguson may only have another year or so left in him whilst the Abu Dhabi group would not hesitate in luring Mourinho should he become available at any time.

The prospect of one of two of Chelsea’s title rivals being armed with the man that virtually guarantees success should have made Abramovich’s mind up as to re-approach Mourinho. Although on what terms, and how things fair will be much harder to detect.

Chelsea Daily - Refreshed Blues gear up for the run-in

Every cloud and all that. One way to put a positive spin on Chelsea’s early exit from domestic cup competitions is that they should be nicely re-jigged for the remainder of the season after a relatively light work-load of late.

The Blues have played just twice in the last three weeks and only seven times since the start of February. The sick bay is all but clear and any niggles and fatigue has had appropriate time to be replenished ahead of a maximum shift of sixteen games as the Londoners try to keep toe with Manchester United and once again attempt to end their Champions League hoodoo.

It is back to business come Wednesday with the formality of finishing off FC Copenhagen before the crunch league clash with Manchester City on Sunday. The Citizens - and chiefly Carlos Tevez - have been particularly irksome to Carlo Ancelotti having beaten his side in the last three meetings. Chelsea trail City by two points with a game in hand and aim to pass their billionaire rivals with more than half on eye on catching the other Manchester mob.

Chelsea’s leisurely lifestyle has been in direct contrast to the Manchester duo who have clocked up almost double the matches since February across three competitions. Coming into the most crucial juncture of the season, the Blues should feel well primed for a late charge.

The scattered fixture list should also have presented Ancelotti with plenty of time to time to right a few wrongs on the training ground, as seemingly a 4-4-2 will be the modus operandi during the run-in. The italian coach has shifted to the system for Chelsea’s last three matches, and although they have won all three, the new shape has not been without its imperfections.

Of course the ongoing conundrum is what to do at the top end of this layout with the misfiring Fernando Torres not exactly spearheading a cohort of similarly out of sorts strikers. Dider Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou have also been underwhelming for the large and of most concern, any permutation of two from four has yet to fully develop and flourish.

Essentially a solution to these forward dilemmas may well make or break Chelsea’s season from here on in. Defensively they are as obdurate as ever having conceded the least goals in the league whilst their midfield continues to be functional if not fluid. Of the champions seven league defeats this season, six have come without the Blues troubling the scoreboard and four of those have been narrow 1-0 reverses. For a side that registered over 100 times last term, the ability to score important goals at impending times has been another key component critically missing from their play.

These figures may be endemic of the sides slump as a whole, but that innate ability to nick goals, games and points is what separates the best from the rest. Extracting the best from Torres needs to begin with finding him a foil and a friendship to get the goals that matter.

Chelsea Daily - Not just goals that Torres is missing

Chelsea collected another three points on the Golden Mile but Fernando Torres is still wearing the expression of an inmate on the Green Mile.

The Spanish striker has now gone five games without a goal in a Blue jersey and rarely looked like altering that statistic during another insipid display for his new team. Barring a couple of late second half efforts struck without conviction, Torres again looked a pale imitation of the sharpened Anfield predator circa 2007.

In an attempt to deflect attention away from his net-shy striker, Carlo Ancelotti spoke pre-match about Torres’s importance to the team as a whole rather than his weight in goals. After going another ninety minutes without registering, Ancelotti’s statements only brought more focus on what else his new signing brought to the party, which upon reflection amounted to the square root of nothing.

In the grand scheme of a £50m deal, a five year contract and a five game ‘drought’, few within the corridors of power at Stamford Bridge will be overly worried yet showings such as the one at Bloomfield Road only raise more questions when others are still unanswered.

Torres’s arrival combined with Chelsea’s tactical falterings has seen the side switch to a 4-4-2 to accommodate their number nine and theoretically eradicate any lingering problems with the worn 4-3-3 or the unsuccessful diamond. In essentially causing his new team to implement a new formation, Torres has burdened himself with even greater responsibility.

This switch has resulted in three successive victories as the Blues reignite their once dim and distant title flame, but little within this resurgence has been directly attributable to the man that incorporated the change. Both Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka have been chosen to dovetail Torres and barring moments against a weak FC Copenhagen, neither combination has been a resounding triumph. On paper, a partnership of either/or should have opposition defenders scurrying for cover yet Chelsea’s last five goals have come from their midfield and defence whilst the frontmen have barely threatened.

Torres’s premier years at Anfield were watermarked with an energy and vibrancy that made him unplayable at times. The former Atletico Madrid striker caused endless problems with his movement by either shrewdly dropping into space or intuitively running the channels. Both of these elements have been absent from Torres’s play so far for Chelsea as he meanders around up-front sporting the look of a kid not getting a kick in the playground.

In a side that create chances, strikers will invariably strike enough to cash their wage cheques but simply getting on the end of others good work does not command a £50m fee. A firing Torres brings more worth to a team than that in creating chances for others and himself from a range of positions lesser strikers wouldn’t.

Regardless of what Ancelotti says, the only way the Londoners will see the best of Torres is if he can replicate his prolific Liverpool form. Goals breed confidence and will inevitably bring the best out of a striker who, when fit and on form, is as good as any frontman in the world. However, the goals conundrum is chicken and the egg and if the goals aren’t flowing, Torres would be wise to go back to what he was doing when they were coming - for the benefit of all involved.

Title rollercoaster moves to Blackpool

Whether they are ‘in it’ or ‘out of it’ depends on whether you are a dim-witted touchline reporter angling for a line. This has been the Premier League season which nobody wants to command and as long as the frontrunners continue to allow the rest to catch, anything can happen.

Manchester United have done their bit to prolong Chelsea’s title challenge. Defeat to Liverpool - their third in five league matches - has left the Blues with the potential to close the gap on the leaders to just six points if they capitalise on their games in hand.

If they capitalise on their games in hand. Jekyll and Hyde have been virtual ever presents for the Londoners this term with their most recent victories coming after the trio of tragedies against Liverpool, Fulham and Everton. It is also worth remembering that supposedly corner-turning results against Bolton and Sunderland were then suffixed with draws and defeats.

But not since the Red Devils sped past Chelsea during their tormented winter months has the carrot dangled so close to the champions. Points tallies provide a tangible pressure but
more so the psychological worries that come from the realisation of ultimate defeat. Sir Alex Ferguson does not want Chelsea looming over their shoulders.

All season United have gathered a host of results their performances scarcely deserved and Chelsea must optimistically view the league leaders current run in the same light as their own fall from grace. Although Ferguson would not allow his side to plummet the same depths of desperation, they now appear more susceptible than ever to dropped points and opened doors.

After successive impressive-in-parts wins over FC Copenhagen and United, Chelsea visit Blackpool tonight with the Seasiders providing opportune opponents for Carlo Ancelotti’s men to add to their momentum and United’s unease. Ian Holloway’s side have shipped in 22 goals in their last eight games picking up just four points in the process and now find themselves well mired in the mess at the bottom.

Like his team, Fernando Torres should also relish a game against the league’s most porous backline. The £50m Spaniard has been making small strides of improvement in his four games since breaking the British transfer record but has yet to find the net. Torres was on target for former club Liverpool when they visited Bloomfield Road in January and Manager Carlo Ancelotti has backed his number nine by declaring he was ‘born to score.’

‘Born to score’ is not a quote immediately attributable to Salomon Kalou, but a goal on the Fylde coast from the man from the Ivory Coast would take him into double figures for the fourth season in a row, but even that may not be enough to keep him at Stamford Bridge past the end of this season.

The Former Feyenoord forward has expressed his dissatisfaction with life on the Chelsea bench after being usurped by Torres of late and with his contract up in the summer of 2012, the 25-year-old may be one part of the expected exodus from SW6 this summer.

Kalou said, "It's been difficult watching from the sidelines these past few weeks. If an opportunity doesn't come, that's when you sit down at the end of the season and think about it.”

There will be plenty for the club to think about come the end of the season yet another win will leave those above them with more to think about during it.

Ferguson up before FA Kangaroo court

Sir Alex Ferguson will soon be back in front of his old friends on the FA disciplinary committee after they charged him with improper conduct following his criticisms of referee Martin Atkinson.

Ferguson didn't hold back in his post-match interview following defeat to Chelsea but his words appeared relatively gentile and well veiled considering some of his past critique's. Indeed, the offending incendiary appears to be his line about the game requiring a 'fair' referee.

That gambit only partially infers that Atkinson favoured the home side, and the whole rant doesn't particularly seem to warrant a misconduct charge. A little over twelve months ago, Ferguson labelled Chris Foy an 'insult' after Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Leeds, yet when hauled over the coals the Scot was let off for the remark despite being on a suspended sentence for having a dig at Alan Wiley in October.

The latest charge comes within Ferguson's probation period for the Wiley suspension and could see him spend as many as five games on the sidelines as United chase a domestic double. Although the FA need to be pliant in acting on the Scot's familiar tirade's, it will be interesting to hear their motives and punishment for this latest indiscretion.

Given the nature and context of Ferguson's words against Atkinson the actual charge of misconduct appears harsh for this particular incident viewed in isolation. The FA's disciplinary works are based more on their one-sided interpretations than many concrete statutes, and it seems that Ferguson is bearing the brunt for the association's failure to punish Wayne Rooney for his apparent elbow on James McCarthy the previous weekend.

The widespread opinion was that Rooney's brush with McCarthy waranted a sending off, but contrary to presentable evidence the FA decided that Mark Clattenburg had sufficiently dealt with the England strikers blatant elbow and no retrospective condemnation was needed.

Such leniency was considered a whitewash and in rebuking Ferguson for his Atkinson comments, the FA have simply sought to re-dress some of the balance for failing to administer necessary sanctions on Rooney.

Technically, if the FA view Ferguson’s behaviour as ‘improper conduct’ he should serve a five game touchline ban, but what are the chances that he will serve a two or three game ban with a further suspension suffixed to it?

The problem here lies with the FA’s ever-changing-to-suit disciplinary procedures which follow no rhyme or reason and are dealt out by a faceless panel with the monolithic judicial system of a crumbling African despot.

The decisions coming out from the halls of this dictatorial disciplinary regime feel more based on media spin than on any measured or considered evidence meaning the body contravenes just about every legal aspect of democratic, civil and human rights laws in the country.

Punishing Ferguson should not and does not atone for letting Rooney off. It is yet another example of the FA governing the game through unchallengeable post-justification.

The FA were swift to apportion blame and cynicism towards FIFA after the failed World Cup bid and Champions League tickets swindle, yet the basic principles of justice and fair play are being compromised on a regular basis without pretence.

It is time that the FA dealing with disciplinary matters was viewed as a conflict of interest. The administrators of our game regularly struggle to be either a hawk or a dove, let alone both. Surely there is now a need for an independent disciplinary commission to take the responsibility away from Soho Square?