Poll reveals how the referee spared Terry more embarrassment
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Saturday, 27th Feb 2010.
8.45 PM
Live @ Football Channel, Starhub Channel 27.
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And yes, Chelsea's John Terry will be meeting Wayne Bridge.
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Lol hope they do not trade blows with each other lah.
But fingers crossed that John Terry will score an own goal from Wayne Bridge's cross to hand victory to City tomorrow...
And this is coming from a Manchester United fan.
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Cech bo show down haiz
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Wayne Bridge to face John Terry after Roberto Mancini confirms defender's place in Manchester City squad at Chelsea
Happier times: John Terry (left) and Wayne Bridge in England training in 2006
KEEP A LID ON IT ... Mikel hopes JT's feud with Bridge stays under wraps
MIKEL has warned John Terry and Wayne Bridge not to let their feud boil over when they clash at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
The Chelsea midfielder fears the showdown with Manchester City will be overshadowed by the bitter rivalry between the former friends and team-mates.
And he urged the duo to put their animosity to one side in their first meeting since news broke of Terry's affair with Bridge's ex-girlfriend.
Mikel, 22, said: "I don't know what is going to happen between them but Terry and Bridgey are adults and must sort themselves out.
"They were best friends for a long time and it is sad that something like this has happened.
"Terry is capable of putting all the fuss behind him but they are both professionals.
"Then it will be a case on the day of whatever happens, happens."
City left-back Bridge declared himself no longer available for England selection due of Terry's presence in the squad. And now he is unlikely to shake the Chelsea captain's hand before and after tomorrow's lunchtime match.
Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou, 24, said: "Maybe what has happened is a big story but for us, it is just about playing well.
"The talking should be about the game and as players, we are more focused on that than on anything that happened in the past.
"And I don't know what will happen with England, that is for the boss Fabio Capello to decide."
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I wanna see some crunching tackles, flying elbows and kung fu kicks!
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Originally posted by CKeer:
I wanna see some crunching tackles, flying elbows and kung fu kicks!
Maybe yes but the last thing that I want to see is Wayne Bridge and John Terry trading blows with each other.
Then again, they might not be on the same pitch come tomorrow.
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Originally posted by CKeer:
I wanna see some crunching tackles, flying elbows and kung fu kicks!
i dun wanna see those.. but im predicting some dirty cheap shots when going after the ball(s).
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Most probably gonna see team bridge under city players' shirts again =D
TEAM BRIDGE FTW!!
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Chelsea
Feb 7: Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Feb 10: Everton 2-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Feb 13: Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff (Premier League)
Feb 20: Wolves 0-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
Feb 24: Inter 2-1 Chelsea (Champions League)
Manchester City
Feb 9: Man City 2- Bolton (Premier League)
Feb 13: Man City 1- Stoke (FA Cup)
Feb 16: Stoke 1-1 Man City (Premier League)
Feb 21: Man City 0-0 Liverpool (Premier League)
Feb 24: Stoke 3-1 Man City (FA Cup)
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti's biggest injury disappointment is in goal, where stalwart Petr Cech will be missing for a month after tearing a calf muscle in the Champions League defeat to Inter on Wednesday.
Henrique Hilario will deputize between the sticks for only his third league game of the season.
Ashley Cole and Yury Zhirkov remain sidelined so Florent Malouda could continue as makeshift left-back.
Possible line-up: Hilario; Ivanovic, Terry, Carvalho, Malouda; Ballack, Lampard, Kalou, Cole; Drogba, Anelka.
Manchester City
Bad boys Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Adebayor will both miss out after being handed bans for violent conduct.
Vieira kicked Stoke's Glen Whelan where it hurts during the 0-0 league draw, while Adebayor struck the Potters' Ryan Shawcross during the FA Cup defeat on Wednesday.
Roque Santa Cruz is expected to fill Adebayor's void up front, though the returning Argentine Carlos Tevez could feature, having declared on arrival back in England that he is ready to play.
Possible line-up: Given; Zabaleta, Bridge, Lescott, Richards; Kompany, Barry, Ireland, de Jong; Bellamy, Santa Cruz.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
There are two men who will have the world's eyes on them during this clash: Chelsea's John Terry and City's Wayne Bridge.
Citizens boss Roberto Mancini isn't even sure if Bridge will shake Terry's hand when the teams line up for the obligatory pre-match introductions to each other. It could be Bridge's second snub of the week after announcing he is no longer available for England selection.
A decent performance from the left-back could have Three Lions boss Fabio Capello cursing John Terry's wandering eyes even more.
Terry is expected to play his gladiatorial stance as usual but the front page revelations appear to have affected his performances of late with creaks in the usually solid armor.
PREDICTION
Manchester City are poor away from home and Chelsea are immense at Stamford Bridge, so all signs point to a home win.
But Terry has shown his head is not quite screwed on at the moment, and City forward Craig Bellamy could well expose such frailty.
In a highly-charged affair - not the first Terry has been involved in - fans can expect fireworks at both ends of the pitch as Chelsea look to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Chelsea 3 Manchester City 2 -
Roberto Mancini has urged Wayne Bridge to blank out the torment that is bound to be swirling through his mind at Stamford Bridge and concentrate on helping Manchester City beat Chelsea.
Just 48 hours after withdrawing from England's World Cup plans, Bridge goes back to Stamford Bridge to confront the man who caused his agony, former team-mate John Terry.
In the light of revelations about Terry's affair with Vanessa Perroncel, mother of Bridge's young son, the 29-year-old City defender declared his position within Fabio Capello's squad as "untenable".
Now he must decide whether to shake Terry's hand during the traditional pre-match greeting.
It is hardly the most stable of situations ahead of a game that could prove pivotal to City's chances of carving something out of a season that has tailed off in recent weeks.
But Mancini is confident Bridge can handle the pressure, even though he had no inkling of the bombshell his full-back was about to land with his short statement on Thursday.
"I am sorry for Wayne and for England because it is important for any player to play for the national team," said Mancini.
"He didn't speak to me before he made the decision. I don't know what has changed, but he has changed his decision because I thought that he would play for the national team.
"But I respect what he has done.
"It is not affecting the club or the dressing room.
"He is a strong character, who has a strong mentality. Wayne must only think about the game because it is an important match for us."
-Football365
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i LOL-ed at this betting page.
those ang mo can really think of anything to bet, check this out ppl.
click to enlarge
- Skysports
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Originally posted by Poignant:
i LOL-ed at this betting page.
those ang mo can really think of anything to bet, check this out ppl.
http://www.skybet.com/skybet?action=GoEvType&id=10003322&aff=705
Lol the link does not work for me leh. Anyway what is it about?
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Originally posted by revetandem:
Lol the link does not work for me leh. Anyway what is it about?
sorry. i replaced the link with a screen shot of the betting page.
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Originally posted by Poignant:
sorry. i replaced the link with a screen shot of the betting page.
Haha why no "trade blows with each other"? I would have placed that bet if both of them made it to the field on Saturday.
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Chelsea backing Wayne Bridge over captain John Terry as duo set to clash for first time
Sorry saga: Fabio Capello will remind Terry and his England team-mates they have a duty to fulfill in the public spotlight, namely showing respect to set an example
Wayne Bridge comes face to face with John Terry at Stamford Bridge having received an astonishing pledge of support from five members of the Chelsea dressing room.
On a day when Fabio Capello all but accused Terry of setting a bad example to young fans, it emerged that the Vanessa Perroncel scandal has divided the Chelsea captain's own colleagues.
Manchester City players, some of whom wore Team Bridge T-shirts under their kit after the scandal broke, have told Bridge they will join him in refusing to shake Terry's hand during the now customary exchange.
But just as remarkable is that, according to sources, Bridge has earned the sympathy of Terry's team-mates over a scandal which has led to the Manchester City full back declaring himself unavailable for England.
Bridge is a former Chelsea player and he clearly still has friends there who believe Terry deserved to lose the England captaincy.
Capello certainly seems to be disturbed by the sorry episode, as well as Ashley Cole's troubled private life.
On Friday he gave a clear indication of what he will say to his England players when they meet for next Wednesday's friendly against Egypt.
'When I met the players for the first time, I told them, "You have to respect all the people that work with me, around us and the other players",' he said.
'The younger children look to these players like an example for life.
'I prefer to speak about football and not the personal life. The next press conference will not be easy to speak about Egypt. A lot of questions will be about John Terry, Wayne Bridge and other things around their private life.'
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uh? so what backing wayne?
means dont score against city? or join wayne to wrack john?
none right? -.-
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Maybe they would join the Manchester City players in wearing the "Team Bridge" undershirts? Lol.
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Chelsea 2 Manchester City 4: John Terry shunned by Wayne Bridge as Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy humble nine men
Wayne Bridge made a point, then left with all three as Manchester City blew the Premier League title race wide open once more by hammering nine-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
All kinds of conspiracy theories had been raised about the pre-match handshake following revelations about John Terry's alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of Bridge's young son.
In the end, there was no mass boycott of the traditional pre-match handshake by City players, just an icy stare from Bridge as he refused to shake Terry's hand.
Snubbed: Wayne Bridge dodges John Terry's proffered hand
It was perhaps the most predictable part of a truly astonishing afternoon that exploded into life once Frank Lampard had put the hosts in front just before the break.
At about that point, Chelsea's world imploded. Henrique Hilario gifted City goals either side of the interval, failing to make saves Petr Cech would regard as routine to keep out shots from Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy either side of the interval.
Then Juliano Belletti was red carded for a foul on Gareth Barry that allowed Tevez to fire home a third from the spot.
And the drama did not finish there as Michael Ballack was also sent off for two yellow cards before Bellamy added another.
A stoppage time Lampard penalty at least raised a cheer from a team whose lead over Manchester United remains a precarious single point.
For Bridge though, it was a perfect afternoon. He stands on the moral high ground, despite the disgraceful chants aimed at him by the home fans, and City are back in the top four.
The intrigue concerning Terry and Bridge had completely overshadowed what was a key encounter for both clubs.
After their midweek loss in Milan, Chelsea were eager to re-establish their four-point lead over Manchester United whilst for City, it was an opportunity to reinforce their top four credentials after a disappointing FA Cup exit at Stoke.
False dawn: Frank Lampard fires Chelsea ahead
Indeed, it could be argued the Bridge issue has taken quite a lot of heat away from Roberto Mancini, who, after that short post-Christmas honeymoon period, has found his position already coming under scrutiny.
The Italian cannot have been too impressed with his side's early efforts either.
Although Chelsea were not at their best, they monopolised possession and could have been in front when Didier Drogba turned onto an off-target Lampard effort and fired a first-time shot over the bar from six yards.
An overworked Vincent Kompany also sliced a shot over his own bar, while, for their part, City barely emerged from their own half.
Given that backdrop, Chelsea could have been forgiven for thinking it was 'job done' when Lampard struck.
A comedy of errors: Carlos Tevez pounces on indecision from John Terry to level matters
Joe Cole had cut a frustrated figure during the opening period and clearly remains some way below his best.
But he spotted Lampard's perfectly-timed run in a flash and once through, there was never any real doubt the midfielder would beat Given, which he did with a precise shot into the corner.
The home fans breathed a sigh of relief and went off to grab their half-time snacks, only for Tevez to jolt them out of their complacency and shine the light of responsibility on Hilario.
With Petr Cech out for a month with an calf injury, Chelsea are relying on Hilario at a crucial stage of the season and there could only be concerned frowns on the home bench as Tevez's shot rolled in.
It looked bad in real time. Replays were no kinder to Hilario after Tevez had turned Terry, then scuffed a shot that incredibly turned into his 20th goal of the season.
Flying high: Craig Bellamy's corker fired City ahead
Cheerio: Juliano Belletti was given his marching orders after bringing down Gareth Barry in the box
Within four minutes of the re-start, City had scored again, with Hilario again placed in the role of accused.
Although Chelsea had plenty of men forward when Craig Bellamy broke from halfway, John Obi Mikel appeared to do everything right.
He did not dive in and kept the Welshman to his outside, ensuring the angle was as tight as possible when the shot eventually came.
But yet again Hilario was not up to the task as Bellamy's shot flew under his body and into the far corner.
For a team that had not scored on this ground since 2000 and had offered so little in the opening 40 minutes, it was a quite astonishing change of fortunes.
On fire: Tevez fires his second from the spot
But more was to come as the red cards started flying. Belletti was shown his for a foul on Gareth Barry that allowed Tevez to tuck home a penalty.
Ballack followed for a tackle on Tevez that could easily have been a dismissal in itself. A second yellow was produced and he was gone too.
Bellamy took advantage of the huge holes now apparent in the Chelsea rearguard with his second of the game.
And while Lampard rounded off the scoring, it was City, and Bridge, who were laughing all the way back to Manchester.
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WAYNE BRIDGE SNUBBED JOHN TERRY [HD QUALITY]
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terry should not play for england since he set a bad example of himself and his actions should not deprive wayne bridge to play for england. terry should be the one to call capello and say "I outta england, call wayno."
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chelsea were the better team in the first half. they imploded after the gifted equalizer.
since his arrival ballack has hardly done anything useful except committing unnecessary fouls. 100k a week to pass the ball square. malouda is only slightly better.
why did ancelotti make the double substitution? and of all people beletti against the very speedy bellamy and hard running tevez.
chelsea paid the price for selling cudicini. hilario really cmi. RA's expression was as hilarious as hilario.
lampard is showing signs of going downhill. how many of his shots were on target? much much less than it used to be.
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hey guys,
i tot rules chg le?
tot if any team tio awarded a penalty against them, no red card is to be shown for tat guility team? no?
n if the guility team tio red carded, no penalty is to be given..
tis rule haven set in mah? i suppose? haha
anyway, gd win for Man City
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Team Bridge (Tevez and Bellamy) really put it to Chelsea last night...
These 2 were the only ones who wore the T-Shirts to show their support for Bridge and they really played their hearts out for him last night... Looks like the news was helpful to City after all as it helped to motivate them...