New Year, Bad Start

New Year, Bad Start. The fact of the matter is few in their right minds could argue QPR deserved to win. When the media and fans alike were quick to start singing the praises of Benitez after the Everton win I stuck to my guns, I've always believed Benitez is a poor manager and stand by it, I'm not prepared to be fickle as some are. When QPR lost 3-0 at home to Liverpool in what some have described as the worst performance seen by a Premier League team it was quite clear there was going to be a response. It was damage limitation for QPR, any fool and his cat could see QPR were going to be well organised and pack the midfield. It was a game we needed to be at absolute full strength to win, the time to rotate the squad would have been in the cup ties. I'm a firm believer in the saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". Resting players and disrupting a winning team is something Benitez did during his time at Liverpool consistently hence why they never won the league title under his tenure. "Resting players" well that just doesn't wash with me. Do Liverpool rest Suarez? Do Man U rest RVP? Do Barcelona rest Messi or Real Madrid rest Ronaldo? No player in the form Mata is in would want to be rested, least of all in a league game. Having lost Cech to injury, not starting Mata, Hazard and Cole just took the biscuit to me. Few could argue our best players on Sunday were Lampard, Ramires and Mata. Ramires and Mata in particular carried the team last season and as soon as I saw the team selection I believed QPR could get something out of the game and that's how it panned out.

I will concede that there are few better managers than Benitez in preparing for one off big games as we saw against Everton and even City to a degree but that's all he is, a cup manager. Unlike some I never harboured the delusions of grandeur that we were ever in a title race, all I want is Benitez and Torres out of my club and a top 4 finish to ensure we get the quality of player and manager good enough to replace them with in the Summer.

What happened today shouldn't surprise any Chelsea fan that has been a fan for at least as many years as toes they have on their feet, it's just typical Chelsea

Not won a game in a long period of time........ Check
Not scored a goal in a long period of time..... Check
Low on confidence.....Check

Only Chelsea could beat a side that were unbeaten at home having lost only twice all season and days later lose to a side bottom of the league with only 1 win and 20 and winless away from home in the entire year of 2012. Yes, this really did happen, it's us all over. I grew up watching a Chelsea that couldn't beat Blackburn at home for toffee yet would happily go to Old Trafford - the most formidable of grounds - and play Man U off the park every year. An experienced Chelsea side that couldn't beat a young Leeds team at home that had been down to 9 men for nearly an hour. All you can do is laugh really.

At this stage a loss is a loss, it's not as if we've lost to Spurs or Arsenal whereby it would have a direct impact on us as well as the fact there is a strong rivalry there. We simply have to move on. If people want to continue to harbour delusions of grandeur of catching the Manchester clubs than that's their prerogative but all I know is when City play Arsenal and United play Spurs later this month, the Manchester clubs will have my full support (as if they wouldn't anyway against that lot). If the Manchester clubs finish 20-30 points ahead of us so be it, as long as we get that 3rd spot (not taking any chances with 4th and having to qualify after our performance in the CL this year) that'll do me fine.

2013 was never going to be as fruitful for us as 2012 but there's still a lot to be excited about, a potential trip return to Wembley as well as a trip (possibly 2) to Amsterdam and we welcome Spurs, West Ham and Arsenal to the Bridge for the real London derbies. No matter what happens, bar the away wins at Arsenal, Leeds and Spurs this has been a season to forget. This Summer needs to be spent focusing on the rebuilding the image of this football club and pacifying the fans. This is a football club I will always love but in all honesty I can't say I like it very much given the way Di Matteo, Lampard, JT and Ashley Cole are being ruthlessly disposed of by the current board. The aforementioned is why, for me, Chelsea can, nor should they ever be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Juventus, Milan or even Man Utd/Roma. Those are clubs that understand the fans and appreciate what those club legends mean to them. Totti, Del Piero, Giggs, Scholes and Maldini would never have been cast aside like stones like our old guard are. If ever a night showed how important Lampard, Cole, Terry and Cech are to the club and how much Benitez/Torres aren't last night against QPR was that night.

The last thing I am going to say is something I said 2 years ago at the start of the "transition". If this board gets rid of the old guard too quickly, we will become like Arsenal of 3/4 years ago. Ability in abundance but no steel or know how to grind out results, this team without JT and Lampard is actually reminiscent of that Arsenal team in 07/08 which in my eyes was the best team to never win the Premier League. Mata, JT, Lampard and Mikel are the only players we have at the club that are calm and composed on the ball with a confidence that transcends onto their teammates. Letting 2 of the 4 go is absolute madness. You can be sure that much like with Drogba every opposition fan will be glad to see the back of Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole all of whom have thwarted their sides countless sides down the years. Teams that play Chelsea now don't fear our striker they fear Mata, Oscar and Hazard. When you are making Clint Hill and Ryan Nelsen look like a retro Italian CB pairing there is nothing in the game for you. Torres is finished at the top level and until Abramovich, Gourlay and co realise that we are going nowhere. I'd go as far as saying that if Torres is still here and starts the opening game of the 2013/14 season if I were Hazard or Oscar my transfer request would be going straight in.