Football Dispatch

Weekend Football
19 October 2007
by Jerrad Peters

DIDIER Drogba has ripped into the state of affairs at Chelsea and has threatened to quit Stamford Bridge. The 29-year-old Ivory Coast striker went public with his concerns, yesterday; although the club moved quickly to deny his comments and dispel the notion of unrest within the ranks. Drogba, who came to tears when former manager Jose Mourinho was forced out of the club, admitted that his mind was already made up regarding his departure. "I've taken the decision to leave," he said. "Sacking Mourinho has done a lot of harm to the squad. We now know what happened and those who forced Mourinho out." He continue, "They know my will to leave. Something has irrevocably broken between me and Chelsea." While he will only attempt to orchestrate a transfer in the summer, the club may consider selling him during the January transfer window rather than be forced to accept comparitively minimal compensation after the season. Frank Lampard, whose contract expires in 2009, will almost certainly follow his teammate out the door. "At the moment, there is not much laughter in training," commented Drogba. "I didn't think we could feel this low." And it looks to get worse. Skipper John Terry will be sidelined for three weeks after undergoing keyhole surgery to remove floating bone particles in his knee; and left-back Ashley Cole has been k-o'd for a month as well. If Chelsea fail to qualify for the knock-out phase of the Champions' League, owner Roman Abramovich may opt for a January fire-sale rather than be faced with the enormous wage bills of his current players. Already, Dutch internationals Rafael Van der Vaart and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have been lined-up for winter moves to Stamford Bridge. Van der Vaart, the creative engine for Hamburg, is seen as the ideal replacement for Lampard; while the 23-year-old Huntelaar, currently at Ajax, could step in for Drogba. In actuality, the future of several Chelsea stars hinges on the team's success in the Champions' League. Mourinho's bitter exit has left a scar. And you just get the feeling that a handful of his former players will follow him wherever he goes in the summertime.

David Beckham played his first football in two months, yesterday, when he made a brief appearance for Los Angeles Galaxy in a 1-1 draw with New York Red Bull at Home Depot Centre in Carson, California. Beckham came on for Peter Vagenas in the 68th-minute as Galaxy manager Frank Yallop pressed for a match-winner. Both goals came within seconds of each other in the first half. Troy Roberts opened the scoring for Los Angeles on the quarter-hour and Jozy Altidore responded moments later. Galaxy will now face Chicago fire on the final day of the season with their season in the balance. Major League Soccer utilizes a play-off system to determine the league champion; and both Galaxy and Chicago are a point adrift of qualifying.