Chelsea v Aston Villa Match Thread

[andyh]

How the fuck has Essien NOT been booked !. Infact, by this wank ref's standards, he should be off.

[Toronto Villa]

very very encouraging. We need to keep all 11 on the pitch seeing as ref isn't giving us any breaks. Can I say, that I've been impressed with Richard Dunne. Please don't let that be a jinx.

[Martyn Smith]

played Villa. Best seen for a long time. We're playing like we did when GH first joined, open and confident. Good stuff. Bit more confidence in front of goal in 2nd half and we can really win this.

[Fergal]

has anyone changed their opinion of GH based on that first half?

[pauliewalnuts]

Much improved, good use of the ball, kept posssession nicely, looking firmer at the back.

I've a horrible feeling we'll end this match with 10 men or fewer and that'll do for us, but on the balance of the 45 minutes, we were much the better team and look infinitely better than we did at Eastlands.

[TimTheVillain]

Poorest reffing performance in ages.

Dreadful, really dreadful.

If he costs us the game he must be reported, wanker of a Ref.

We don't 'always get shit Refs', but we sure got one today ....

[richard moore]

Much, much better

Clark has been excellent, Downing woeful

If only we had the confidence to shoot straight...

Neither penalty was justified in my opinion, the ref just evened up his first terrible decision with an equally awful second one
 
Someone like to tell me how Essien and Ferreira have escaped yellow cards?
 
We won't have 11 men on the pitch by the end I fear...

[sfx412]

Well done lads, much improved. We could win this if we keep a full team on.

As long as the returning players are really fully fit and don't collapse late on you could be right again.

Here's hoping anyway.
Thing is without the kids we do look more like Villa that finished sixth, and even if wer lose that augers well.

[Jimbo]

Come on Villa, we're sticking it right up these cheating cockney c***s. The ref is an absolute disgrace, and he knows it. He's been piss poor and you can see it all over his face. He either stops being such a one-sided Chelsea scrote-muncher in the second half, letting the game to flow on, or he evens things up with a bit of justice meted out to them. Or he simply carries on persecuting us for not being one of the Sky Four and we end the game with 9 men.

[JUAN PABLO]

essien fouls pen and fouls ash on 47th min. no booking..

[Toronto Villa]

Is it 7 yellow cards before the club receives a fine?

6. We just picked up a 35 grand fine.

[Shrek]

Villa by far the better team, Collins did nothing wrong, he has booked 6 of our players, yet Essien has give away a penalty and a free kick and not been booked, truly shocking refereeing.

We have to change it or will go down to 10 with this ref.

[Martyn Smith]

We've been good.

The referee has managed one of the worst performances I've ever seen.

Don't think Mason is getting the fouls wrong generally, it's just his card distribution is so biased. If we've merited 6 yellows then Chelsea have deserved 4 at least...

[MonsXI]

We will lose this because of the ref i cannot believe his bias towards them he's not even hiding it. How can Essien give away a pen with a lunge in the box and a blatant non attempt to go for the ball against Ash yet still not receive a card? Dunne's reaction after the pen got him a yellow why not Terry?

[Risso]

has anyone changed their opinion of GH based on that first half?

It's a start, we need to keep it up though. If this stays as a draw, it'll be our first point after going behind.