[SHEP_HTAFC]

CHELSEA v HUDDERSFIELD TOWN ......SAT 2ND FEB.....K.O 15:00

                                                                                   



GAME DETAILS / CURRENT FORM / HEAD TO HEAD

It was a very disappointing start to Jan Siewert's first game in charge on Tuesday. A goal after less than 3 minutes v Everton condemned Town to their 9th defeat this season by a single goal.
If you count a 3 goal margin as a thrashing, then Town have only been thrashed 4 times in 24 league games this season. Twice v Man City.
So things may not seem as bad as they actually are. Maybe.
Town's big problem for 2 season has been a lack of goals. This again was evident on Tuesday as they rarely looked threatening.
A good free kick by Mooy and a header from Kachunga were both well saved by Everton's goalie Pickford, but apart from that they were toothless.
Jan Siewert has told the players that he wants a more attacking threat, and to get the ball forward quicker. Let's hope that the players take on this philosophy into the next game.

A big plus was Aaron Mooy playing some part in the game on Tuesday. Let's hope he can start on Sat, or at least play a full half.
Another plus is the signing of Karlan Grant from Charlton Athletic. He has scored 14 goals this season in League 1. He is eligible to play this Saturday.





Town have only drawn one game in our last 6, losing the other 5. It's relegation form for sure, even if we weren't already in the relegation places before this run.
A run of fixtures after this and the Arsenal game, might give us a slight chance of redeeming our woeful season. We don't play anyone significant until we go to Spurs in mid April. The next 7 games after the Arsenal fixture are Newcastle(A), Wolves(H), Brighton(A), Bournemouth(H), West Ham(A), Crystal Palace(A), and then Leicester(H).
All are winnable, or at least drawable. We have to get more than 11 points this season to not be considered the worst ever Premiership team. Currently Derby County have that dubious honour.

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Manager Maurizio Sarri seems to be struggling with some of his players just now, and the form they are showing this season has been a little patchy.
This was evident on Wednesday night when they were hammered by Bournemouth 4-0. Two goals from Joshua King and one apiece from David Brooks and Charlie Daniels sent Chelsea to a second consecutive league defeat. This was their worst league defeat for 23 years.
The result dropped them out of the Champions League places, albeit only on goals scored.
It was just the second time in Premier League history Chelsea have lost a game by a four-goal margin, after losing 5-1 to Liverpool in September 1996.

Sarri however, has got them to Wembley, where a Carabao Cup final with Manchester City awaits.
They have also just signed Gonzalo Higuain from AC Milan to replace Alvaro Morata who has been loaned out to Atletico Madrid for the rest of the season.


Chelsea's last 6 league games before Bournemouth
Arsenal(A)  L 2-0
Newcastle(H)  W 2-1
Southampton(H) D 0-0
Crystal Palace(A)  W 0-1
Watford(A)  W 1-2
Leicester(H)  L 0-1


Chelsea's starting line up v Bournemouth would have resulted in a massive score if you were playing Scrabble. A lot of Z's on show. No British players at all...although Loftus-Cheek and Barclay were on the bench.
Anyway the team that started was:-

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga

LB: Emerson
CB: David Luiz
CB: Antonio Rüdiger
RB: César Azpilicueta

CM: Mateo Kovačić
CM: Jorginho
CM: N'Golo Kanté

LW: Eden Hazard
RW: Pedro

ST: Gonzalo Higuain 


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We have played Chelsea 67 times since 1911. We have won 27 and lost 30, with 10 draws.
We went on a streak of winning 7 games in a row against them back in 1931-1933. 1954 was the last time Town beat Chelsea in the top flight.
However, in the league, we have not beaten Chelsea since 1963 when we were both in Division 2.


But that is not the last time we have beaten them. Who can forget the screamer Kenny Irons scored down at the Bridge in the league cup back in 1999.

https://youtu.be/00EUKvRFttA



And of course last year we managed to stay in the Premiership due to this goal....

https://youtu.be/fe9hq5P1MGw





OUR OPPONENTS

Chelsea were founded on 10 March 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook) opposite the present-day main entrance to the ground on Fulham Road.
Back then, most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play. However Chelsea were founded for Stamford Bridge.
The ground was first opened in 1877 and had hosted athletics meetings there.

Chelsea won its only First Division title in 1955, but saw limited success in various cup competitions until 2003, when the club was purchased by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

In terms of club value, Chelsea are the 7th most valuable football club in the world, worth £1.54 billion.
They are the 8th highest-earning football club in the world, with earnings of over £428 million in the 2017–18 season.
Based on attendance figures, the club have the 6th largest fanbase in England.
Chelsea's highest home attendance is 82,905 for a First Division match against Arsenal on 12 October 1935.
Chelsea were the first club to play with shirt numbers, on 25 August 1928 in their match against Swansea Town.
They were the first English side to travel by aeroplane to a domestic away match, when they visited Newcastle United on 19 April 1957
They were also the first First Division side to play a match on a Sunday, when they faced Stoke City on 27 January 1974.
On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first British side to field an entirely foreign starting line-up (no British or Irish players) in a Premier League match against Southampton.
They are one of only eight clubs who have played in the top flight and who have never fallen below the second tier of English football, spending 83 of 102 league seasons in the top flight. The other seven? Arsenal...Everton...Man Utd...Liverpool...Spurs...West Ham...Newcastle.
Upon winning the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, Chelsea became the first English club to win all four European trophies and the only club to hold the Champions League and the Europa League at the same time.




CLUB LINKS


Frank Sinclair

Chris Hutchings

Ken Monkou

Joey Jones

Leon Knight

Kasey Palmer

Izzy Brown






TEAM NEWS

Philip Billing - Knee - Expected back in February
Abdelhamid Sabiri - Lack of match fitness - 75% chance of playing
Danny Williams - Knee - Expected back at the end of February


Chelsea have a full squad to pick from.

[Lord Snooty]

Nice on Shep.

I thought I saw Billing was back for this. Hope so. Billing, Mooy and Hogg with old Mr Punchbag is a winning formula. Mooy's excellent passing putting the new lad Grant through on goal and the electric pace of Diakhaby will have Sarri shatting him sen.

Come on Town. We can do this.

[SHEP_HTAFC]

All my 3 previous threads this season have had all the games ended at 1-1.
I'd take that now!!

[jjamez]

think all of us would, even just to get off 11 points!

[theo_luddite]

Nice thread SHEP

Bought my match ticket on the way back from Fulham thinking things can only get better.


Hmmm - hopefully they will today with Chelski on the crest of a mini-slump and some players seemingly back at war with their coach, yet again. Having had another rollocking, which version of Chelski, but more important which version of Town will turn up this weekend? Players back from injury and a lad that apparently knows what the onion bag looks like, if we get a goal we might party like it's 1999 let alone a point, or dare we ask, ......


..... a win?

Either way I've about 2½ hours to kill after the game before boarding the rattler home - though walking away from the ground to find a beer or three will kill ½ hour of that, or trying to get on the tube at Fulham Broadway even if I bail early. It's another excuse for a fine day out darn in that there Larndan Tarn - gonna be a bit nippy today though. Thermals on the radiators to warm them up. :

Full monty breakfast and some snap and er refreshments(?) for the journey down.

Come on Town let's do it for once.

---

By the way, anyone looking at using the rattlers for a day trip or even a long weekender to Brighton might find themselves on a bus from just sarf of Gatwick to Brighton and back.

[theo_luddite]

Interesting line up. Grant on after 5 mins?

[Lord Snooty]

Interesting? Exciting! We'll marmalize em.

Come on Town.

[St Charles Owl]

Your game is the one on tv over here. That penalty was harsh, I can see why he has given it but its one of those you want when its for you but always complain about when its against you. Plus was it in the box, looked like it was on the line which makes it a penalty.

[Lord Snooty]

Not seen it, but definitely not a penalty.

[St Charles Owl]

Not seen it, but definitely not a penalty.

Well when you see it you won't change your mind, one of those pens you hate getting given against you.