FULHAM shrugged of their last-gasp defeat at St James’ Park by getting a hard-fought point at Aston Villa on Saturday.
That result means it’s now just one defeat in seven for Martin Jol’s side and they will be hopeful of extending that good record back on home soil.
Craven Cottage has been a tough place to go in recent years for opposition teams and although Fulham have fallen to a few defeats this season they seem to have started to turn things around again.
Victories over West Ham, Stoke and QPR have had the home fans singing again and as the only recent loss was a narrow 1-0 reverse to Manchester United, it can easily be forgiven.
Chelsea are in the midst of a huge fixture pile-up as they have been playing two games a week for what seems like months. It’s set to continue as while they were knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday, they have league fixtures to catch up on, as well as European duties.
Rafa Benitez is a master of squad rotation but you can only spread yourself so thinly and the players are beginning to look a touch fatigued. Injuries to Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill haven’t helped and club captain John Terry hasn’t looked the same since his return.
The key to a good Chelsea performance is Juan Mata and to a lesser extent Eden Hazard. If they are on song then The Blues are sometimes irresistible but it’s not even guaranteed both will start tonight and the Belgian in particular can blow a touch hot and cold.
Fulham will not only take confidence from the fact Chelsea have picked up just one point from their last four league matches on the road but will also take heart from the knowledge that they haven’t lost to Chelsea in 90 minutes in their last five meetings and they haven’t lost at home to them since 2009.
The Blues are short here at 1.77 for my money and that’s why I have to make them my lay of the day.
Recommended Bet
Lay Chelsea v Fulham @ 1.77
Milesey (Betfair)
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
Not a chance!
Sidewell is missing he is Fulhams 3rd highest goalscorer with 4.
Duff is missing he is joint 4th highest goalscorer with 3 and he has the highest assists with 7
Stick Luiz on Berbatov goal threat sorted.
Chelsea know tonight is a must win and will go out there all guns blazing … 2 or 3 nil Chelsea
“” Stick Luiz on Berbatov goal threat sorted.””
That made me chuckle, LUIZ can’t stick on anyone, he plays like he has ants in his pants, doesn’t seem to know what position he is playing in half the time. and who says Luiz is playing, Benitez could chuck the reserve team in with all the games they have to play…. and what does Benitez care about the league ? he isn’t around next season, he wanted the FA CUP, so looks like the Europa will do for Benitez cv this season.
Milesey
3RD IN PREMIER LEAGUE
or
WINNER OF EUROPA.
What one do you think would look better on BENITEZ’S CV ?
Milesey
I would say 3rd in premier league, not many big clubs care about the Europa League unfortunately
Haha and you think that Benitez’s CV will look good if it says he failed to get Chelsea a Champions League spot? … remember “only a dope could fail at Chelsea”
Will be a strong squad tonight, Everyone including Rafa knows we need the 3 points tonight …
End of the day is Rafa fails to get Chelsea a champions league spot no big club in the world will touch him
Wouldn’t put that on a cv would he ?
The cv would read how long he as at chelsea and what he won, and he isn’t going to win the premier league, the EUROPA is the one he wants, he doesn’t care what chelsea are in next season, he wouldn’t put on his CV 3rd in the league, he would put what he won in his time at the club, just like what is listed on any site if you look at BENITEZ’S record, it doesn’t say where he finished with teams, just what he WON !
Milesey
……. and ROBERTO DI MATTEO wins the champions league and what big clubs want him ?
Milesey
haha that made me laugh thinking that a manager actually sends in a CV with all his achievements … Every big club will know what Benetiz has achieved while at chelsea (So far f*king nothing) … Getting a team a champions league spot will read better on a CV than the Europa League …
Hahaha you just answered your own question with the Di Matteo comment … Exactly right, so why would a big club want Benetiz if he wins the Europa League
Every manager has to apply for the job the same as anyone else, so when a position becomes available, CV’S start to fall through the door of the club, the club may approach who they want, but i know for a fact that managers looking for jobs pop a cv through the door of a club when a position becomes available.
Milesey
Thats funny at big clubs I always thought managers were approach on what that have acheived .. Can’t see Moyes sending his CV down to Chelsea … Normally the agents do all the work.
Anyways … My opinion is Chelsea will win tonight, Yours is they will lose. We will see come tonight.
oh so DI MATTEO was approached on what he achieved ? really ? and what exactly had he achieved as a manager ?
Milesey
I didn’t say they will lose, A Fulham win OR a draw will do for a LAY on Chelsea, i didn’t say Chelsea will lose i expect a draw what is good enough and at 1.77 that is great value !
Milesey
Di Matteo was an ex-player … loved by the fans. He was also already there as a AVB’s assistant and moved up once he was sacked haha … AVB certainly never handed his CV into Chelsea, nor did Mourinho … they were all approached and their agents worked out a deal haha Bale doesn’t hand his CV into Manchester United and hope they call him back
I know for a Certain fact MARK HUGHES applied for the QPR job….. that’s all i will say ;)
Milesey
Yeah with a stamped address envelope with his CV inside haha
That’s correct how did you know that ? You seen his CV too ? for i did from someone at the club, now i’ve said too much sssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Milesey
What a load of boll*cks haha
AC your good on Football Manager, you should send your cv to Chelsea ………………………
Dumbarton lie rock bottom of the Scottish First Division so when they sacked their manager they must have been pleasantly surprised when they were inundated with applications for the vacant position.
Well that was until they started to scan the CVs of the wannabe replacements for Alan Adamson.
Club chief executive Gilbert Lawrie had dozens of people apply who had led their teams to Champions League glory — the only problem was that all their successes had come in computer games.
“I can tell you I’ve had dozens and dozens of applications and it takes a while to shift through the CVs of people who have won the Champions League on FIFA 12,” he told the Daily Record.
“Probably 75 per cent of the applications so far are from people who have taken a team from a low ebb to great heights on a computer screen, which is a great achievement for them but perhaps not what we are looking for at this time.
“Thankfully we have had a good number of applications from people with genuine experience in the game as well and we will take our time going through them.”
For now assistant manager Jack Ross has been given the ‘control pad’ for Dumbarton’s home game against Airdrie United and he is hoping to move up a level and become full time boss.
“It’s a big challenge for me,” he said.
With Dumbarton having just two points from their opening nine games a challenge it certainly is.
Milesey
Milesey, I remember that story about Dumbarton but looks like they picked the right man in Ian Murray and will now avoid the drop.
You hear stories all the time of cheeky urchins submitting their Football Manager CVs to clubs in the hope of somehow getting themselves an interview. Indeed, when a 25-year-old lad by the name of John Boileau first tried his luck by contacting Middlesborough owner Steve Gibson about their managerial vacancy in 2006, Gibson even sent back a light-hearted ‘sorry, you didn’t get the job this time‘ letter.
Many have tried since (a 17-year-old Korean kid sent Bath City over 100 emails trying to get an interview for their vacant manager job just last year) though none have succeeded – until now… sort of.
Having initially been hired by Azerbaijani Premier League side FK Baku in February in an advisory role, 21-year-old Azerbaijan-born, Sweden-based student Vugar Huseynzade is now the manager of the club’s ‘A’ side, i.e, their ‘reserves’ by any other name – having landed the job on the basis of the strength of his Football Manager resumé.
Huseynzade has no actual managerial experience and is fresh out of Business School, with a month or two’s work experience at an American sports agency his only (tenuous) link to the sporting world. FK Baku initially hired the Baku-born student based solely on being impressed by the knowledge of the game young Vugar applied in setting up and running his Football Manager team.
Eight months down the line and FK Baku have decided that Huseynzade is the man to whip their ‘A’ side into shape having been without a manager for two whole years since previous incumbent Kamran Ismayilov upped and left.
The craziest part? Huseynzade was reportedly prefered to former Marseille and France legend Jean-Pierre Papin – who does have a little bit of managerial experience under his belt as it happens.
Madness gone mad. Still, at least there’s now renewed hope for us all. Bath City can probably expect another 100 emails in their inbox by this time tomorrow!
Haha my football manager record was pretty impressive years ago … Not at big clubs, Rafa does not have a cv that he sends in … Clubs approach him on past achievements and getting a champions league place is more impressive then winning the Europa cup
we’ll see tonight then, if FAT FRANK and TERRY are in, then he isn’t taking the league seriously.
Milesey
Nice read on that 21 year old Milesy, good on him, its all about a foot in the door nowadays, and lets face it if your willing to put in the work after such a cheeky application then run with it!!
Back to your lay of the day and im on the draw here, more likely than the Fulham win with obviously better odds than the double chance. London derby, recent meetings etc all seem to point to it been tight so I see value in the draw.
Also agree that Chelsea maybe playing too many games is a factor, Rafa will rest some but won’t go out not to win, just that its not always what you want in football that matters, every club wants to win every game but Fulham are no pushovers at home.
Iv doubled the draw with the Roma win so hope for a juicy return come 10 tonight, good luck all
Milesey you are right. All managers good and bad will have a cv. All sort of info on it. Like coaching badges fluent languages etc and Benitez s cv would look better on the continent with the UEFA cup on it .
I hope fat frank and terry are in … Lampard first goal
Chelsea team —
Cech, ivanovic, terry, Luiz. Bertrand, Ramires, lampard, Moses, mata, hazard, Torres …. Nice strong team put out by Rafa … COME ON CHELSEA
terry, Bertrand, lampard, Moses, Torres
RESERVE TEAM out tonight then…….. see a FULHAM draw at the least here ;)
Milesey
put your handbags down ladys and get on over 3.5 goals in the chelsea game
Looking at the line-ups I can see Wigan getting a goal at City, Kone and Di Santo supported by Maloney and Gomez. Obviously City have a very strong line-up and will hit at least 3, my idea of a correct score is 3-1 but more likey 4-1.
Man u will be playing quite a narrow team which could make a bet on West ham +1 corner at willhill @ 5/4 a good shout. jarvis and Vaz Te will give WH more width, just depends on how much pressure is excerted through shots, therefore keeper saves.
Fulham v Chelsea- Iv already said I fancy the draw, its the sort of teams I expected, hope for a tight game and the pitch down at the cottege will slow the play down although both favour a passing game.
Good luck all
Good tip. Milesey. On. Andy. Murray. 6-5.
Well done AC, got it right in your first post, was never sure about this one.
Milesey Milesey what’s the score, Milesey what’s the score!
Ha cheers Chris, Milesey normally gets them spot on but i was pretty sure tonight wasn’t one of those nights
HAHA, Fairplay, the first goal was a cracker, the second and third the defence didn’t mark Terry and let him have free run, but on the first goal deserved win just for that goal !
Milesey
haha i was there, such a great goal … i would say it silenced the Fulham crowd but they were silent from kick off … I’m going Newbury on Saturday so will be keeping an eye on the racing page to see if any of your thoughts match mine … take it easy pal