Chelsea Top Premier League Wage Bill

Chelsea Football Club now reportedly have the biggest wage bill in the English Premier League. The annual wage bill of £172 Million does not include new signings Fernando Torres, who has reportedly signed a contract worth £200,000 a week and £25 Million signing David Luiz, who both joined the club this week.

Premiership wages have been notoriously high in recent years and Chelsea's wage bill is £40 Million above closest big spending rivals Manchester City. A more important consideration is the percentage of a clubs turnover which is spent on players wages. Chelsea spend a reported 82 percent of their turnover on wages, while Manchester City spend 106 percent, this is in stark contrast to other top clubs such as Manchester United, who spend 46 percent of their turnover on wages, while Arsenal spend 49 percent.

Chelsea

Several big name players left Chelsea during the summer of 2010, the departure of Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Joe Cole saved an annual £20m in wages and generated around £15 million in transfer fees. Despite this saving Chelsea have recently reported losses of £70.9m which was up £26.5m from the previous financial year, the addition of Torres and Luiz will add to significantly to their wage bill.

Under the new UEFA Financial Fair Play rules, which come into effect from the 2011-12 season, clubs must only spend on wages and other expenditure what they earn in ticket sales, merchandising and other commercial income. Effectively the club's books will have to balance, failure to do so could ultimately lead to disqualification form European competitions such as the Champions League.

A potential safety net exists within the rules, any players whose contracts were agreed before 1 June 2010 will be exempt, if these rules were applied to Chelsea for the last financial year they would have actually been shown to make a financial profit. The rules won't be tightened until 2016 when all players wages will be taken into consideration, even then if a club is making a financial loss and they can prove there is an improvement in the trend of their finances, they may escape punishment by the governing body.

Chelsea Top Premier League Wage Bill

Premier League Match Time: Newcastle Vs Chelsea

Premier League match time arrives at St James' Park as Newcastle United get set to host champions Chelsea in match week 15 on Sunday, November 28.

A few weeks ago, Newcastle stunned Sunderland 5-1. Match week 14 witnessed a repeat of that score, except that Chris Hughton's squad were on the receiving end, with Bolton the beneficiaries. Despite the loss, the Magpies are in the top half of the points table, but in an extremely tight league, they are just four points adrift of 18th placed Wigan.

Chelsea FC

Carroll, as ever, was outstanding, though in a lost cause, and got a second half goal to reduce the margin. The absence of both Barton and Tiote was a double blow for Hughton's men, who would also be justified in considering themselves as having been subjected to some harsh refereeing. Coloccini was a weak link in Magpies' defence, and he did not have any clue about how to handle Elmander's pace and the Bolton striker made the most of the opportunity by scoring a brace.
Chelsea are coming off a 1-0 away loss to Birmingham, their third in four games. Ancelotti's side began the season with a run of wins and a barrage of goals. Their campaign has lost its early steam, and with a long list of injuries, the Stamford Bridge squad's weak bench stands exposed.

Contrast this with the performance of their rivals at Old Trafford. While Manchester United have trailed Chelsea, their saving grace has been their unbeaten record. They have shown the kind of resilience we expect to see in champions, even when below their best.

The latest blow for Chelsea -- John Terry laid low for some weeks - has been the hardest to bear. The team's early season performance bore the stamp of Terry's leadership and character. The defence is vulnerable without him, as is the midfield without Lampard.

Head to head In their last twenty league encounters, Chelsea have won 13 while losing just 2, with the remaining five drawn. Both of Magpies' wins have come at home, with the last one registered in April 2006.

Ahead of the game against Chelsea, Newcastle will be buoyed by the return of Tiote.

Newcastle had the following men in their starting eleven against Bolton: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Guthrie, Nolan, Smith, Gutierrez, Carroll and Ameobi; the Magpies employed Routledge, Lovenkrands and Campbell as substitutes.

The following men comprised Chelsea's starting eleven against Birmingham: Cech, Ferreira, Alex, Ivanovic, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Malouda, Anelka, Drogba and Kalou; the substitutes who featured were Bosingwa and Sturridge.

Premier League Match Time: Newcastle Vs Chelsea

Premier League Preview: Chelsea Vs Manchester United

Premier League match time returns to Stamford Bridge, when Chelsea host Manchester United, in a first leg game on Tuesday, March 1, a match that was originally scheduled to be played on December 19, and got postponed owing to inclement weather.

Chelsea's match against Fulham was meant to be all about Torres, who replaced Drogba in the starting eleven as the prime striker for the Stamford Bridge squad. While preferring Torres to Drogba gave Chelsea greater control in midfield. Fulham were resolute as ever in defence, and Chelsea failed to convert the half-chances they had to show for all of their superior possession.

Chelsea

David Lutz used the game to showboat his considerable skills. The Brazilian had more creativity than the whole midfield combined, and his only flaw was a lunge on Dempsey in injury time that resulted in a penalty for Fulham that Dempsey himself took. And Cech made a brilliant save to prevent Lutz's solitary error from taking away from his great performance. The loss of two points has made Chelsea's title defence an impossible mirage.

In their game against Wigan in match week 28, United were off-colour, till Hernandez put them ahead, on 17 minutes. During the interim, Wigan created a few scoring chances, and the Old Trafford squad have Van der Sar to thank for not allowing Wigan to convert any of them.

Rooney was lucky that he didn't get sent off for what looked like a deliberate elbowing of James McCarthy, in the 10th minute. The iconic striker had a hand in 3 of the 4 goals, the third of which he scored. The first goal transpired after his pass to Nani (absolutely brilliant on the day) on the right flank was relayed to Hernandez who converted. Hernandez got a second goal on 74 minutes; Rooney made it 3-0 on 84 minutes, and three minutes later, Fabio completed the tally with United's fourth goal of the game. The result has put United 4 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table, and 15 points adrift of Chelsea, who are in 5th place..

Head to head, of the last league games between Chelsea and Manchester United, the Stamford Bridge squad have won 3, while United have won 2, with the remaining game drawn.

In their last 6 league games, Chelsea have registered 3 wins, 2 losses and a draw, while Manchester United have 5 of their last 6 matches, while losing the remaining one. Chelsea have won 8 of 12 home games this season, while losing and drawing 2 each. Manchester United have 4 an lost 1, while drawing the remaining 8 of 13 games on the road.

In their last Premier League match, Chelsea drew 0-0 away at Fulham, while Manchester United's last match, away at Wigan, ended 4-0 in their favour.

In the defending champions, Manchester United can expect tougher opponents than cellar team Wigan. But on current form, it would be a steep challenge for Chelsea to take away full three points from Tuesday's game.

Chelsea's starting eleven against Fulham comprised: Cech, Ivanovic, David Lutz, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Anelka, Torres and Malouda. Drogba and Kalou featured as substitutes.

Manchester United had the following players in their starting eleven against Wigan: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Hernandez and Rooney. Berbatov, Da Silva and Gibson were used as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Chelsea Vs Manchester United

Chelsea Football Club Facts

History

Chelsea football club is an English football club that was formed in 1905. They currently play in the top division of English football being the premier league. They play all their home games at the magnificent Stamford bridge stadium which was officially opened in 1877 but wasn't used for football until 1904. Chelsea has one of the wealthiest owners in the English premier league being Roman Abramovich who acquired the club in 2003. The current manager of Chelsea football club is former AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Chelsea Football Club

Stadium

Chelsea has only ever had one stadium being Stamford Bridge where they have played since foundation. It was officially opened in 1877 but wasn't used for football until 1904 due to it being used by London Athletics Club. The stadium has a capacity of around 42,000 and has many facilities along with the football pitch. Added facilities include two hotels, apartments, bars, restaurants and the Chelsea megastore. These facilities have been created to help provide extra revenue for the football side of business. The club has plans to increase there stadium size to over 50,000 which may mean the club having to relocate due to health and safety regulations.

Crest

Since foundation Chelsea football club has had four main crests which all underwent minor variations. Chelsea's crest was first formed in 1905 which had the image of a Chelsea pensioner on it giving the club the nickname pensioner. It wasn't until 1953 when the clubs crest started to take shape with an image of a blue lion which has remained through out other designs of the crest with minor variations to colour.

Records

Chelsea football club have conquered many records which are proving hard to break for current Chelsea players. Chelsea's current highest appearance maker is Frank Lampard who has appeared for the club 460. Chelsea's all time top goal scorer is Bobby Tambling with 202 goals in 370 games in 1959 - 1970. The current top scorer for Chelsea is Frank Lampard with 136 goals. Chelsea holds the record for the highest home attendance match which was against Arsenal with an attendance of 82,905.

Chelsea Football Club Facts

Help You Know More About Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club, located in West London. Chelsea F C was founded in March 10, 1905. They spent most of their history in the top tier of English football, and now play in the Premier League. Chelsea have won four Premier League titles, 6 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups.

In 1955, Chelsea F C won the league championship, that was their first major success. They won no major title until 1997 after won some cup competitions between1960s to 1970s. The past 7 years (1993-2010) was the most successful period in Chelsea's history, winning Premier League Championships in 2005, 2006 and 2010, runners-ups in 2004, 2007 and 2008. And they did well in UEFA Champions League too, reached the final in 2008.

Chelsea

In fact, Chelsea F C is not based in Chelsea, but in neighbouring Fulham. Stamford Bridge football stadium in Fulham (with 41,841 capacity) is the club's home, they have played since their establishment there. Roman Abramovich who is Russian oil magnate bought the Chelsea in 2003.

Chelsea kit is royal blue shirt and shorts with white socks, this combination was used since the 1960s. The club crest has been changed several times for modernising or re-branding. The current crest, featuring a ceremonial lion holding a staff, is a modified version of one first adopted in the 1950s. We can see fans wearing Chelsea jersey everywhere, since Chelsea have been one of the most successful in Europe.

Help You Know More About Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea Revives Title Challenge

Chelsea roar on with a decisive 2-0 win at home to Man City. This was a pivotal "six-pointer" game. City started the game in 3rd spot with Chelsea chasing two points behind. The win now puts Chelsea a point ahead of City and with a game in hand - potentially just six points behind United. The title chase is not over for Chelsea as they seek to defend their crown with a late charge.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Chelsea FootballClub

Chelsea's two goals came late in the game - on 78 mins courtesy of inspirational defender David Luiz, and then in stoppage time from their other new Brazilian star Ramires. The game really was heading for a stale 0-0 draw. Chelsea boss Ancelotti opted for an experimental strike force of Malouda, Torres and Kalou and Chelsea didn't really raise their game until Drogba and Anelka were introduced on 70 mins.

David Luiz showed again what great value he is even at his hefty price tag. He has fitted into English Premier League football seamlessly and provided energy, poise and a cutting edge to the team. He really is one of the star finds of this season. His second goal of the season proved what a superb two-way threat he is. Chelsea have to hope that he is a durable player because he is going to be a linchpin player for them for seasons to come. Ramires on the other hand - has often struggled with the pace of the league but his last minute goal indicates that he has found his rhythm and endurance in a physically punishing league.

MAN CITY

Boss Mancini will be disappointed that his team failed to show up in this critical swing game against Chelsea. They have now lost their 3rd spot and on current form, will have a hard time getting ahead of Chelsea - AND have to battle Tottenham for that 4th spot. Its looking like another soft ending to a season for City who appear to be also running out of steam and ideas. For all the money they have spent, building team chemistry has been a big struggle. The team does need some time to gel so this part is understandable. Whether the owners have enough patience to wait is another issue. If Jose Mourinho becomes available in the summer, I expect City to make him a substantial offer to run City. So lots of potential drama await City in the off-season. Stay tuned on this one.

TITLE IMPLICATIONS

Its abundantly clear that Chelsea now have the momentum to take up the chase for United. Arsenal appear to be losing steam. They are not sound defensively and their keeper Almunia is hitting an erratic patch. At this rate, Chelsea will overhaul Arsenal for 2nd and be the team to apply the heat on United. I'd love to be proved wrong because Arsenal have a great chance of ending their trophy drought and are still in a great position to strike. But they have major problems right now with team dynamics and confidence. This is the point in the season when the team should be shifting into high gear for the stretch run. Arsenal are sputtering along.

THE LAST WORD

Chelsea captain John Terry has been in the news this week as England boss Fabio Capello makes a hash of figuring out the England captaincy. It has now gone BACK to John Terry. My opinion is that its the right move. Terry is a better captain than either Rio Ferdinand or Steven Gerrard. I never thought a year suspension from the captaincy was required. Perhaps a few games to send a message about his off-field indiscretions. Terry is the right man for the captaincy for what he does on the field. Decision long overdue.

Chelsea Revives Title Challenge

Premier League Review - Chelsea Beat Bolton

Chelsea secured their first Premier League win in seven games as they beat Bolton 1-0. The Blues worst run of form for more than ten years was brought to an end, as they continue to pursue Manchester United in the race for the Premier League title.

There was little evidence of their former glories, as Chelsea were made to fight for every ball, had their normal flowing play disrupted and they will probably consider themselves fortunate to have secured all three points.

Chelsea

Florent Malouda was on hand to score the only goal of the game, and his first goal in the league for two months, which was enough to send the Blues back to fourth place in the table. The Blues are now four points adrift of leaders Manchester United and City, and two points behind Arsenal, who beat them 3-1 a few days previously. In what could conspire to be one of the closest title races for many years, Chelsea, who top the league by five points a few weeks ago, could already be home and dry had they not endured such a woeful spell of form.

On a rain soaked pitch, Chelsea again struggled to find their free flowing game and they failed to secure one shot on target during a miserable first half. Bolton on the other hand were competitive and strong in the tackle, showing a resilience that the hosts would have welcomed themselves during the last few weeks.

Bolton started to look like the side more likely to score and some desperate defending from John Terry and a few near misses denied the visitors. A section of the home crowd booed their team off at half time, growing increasingly frustrated by the lacklustre display.

After a slow start to the second half, Chelsea suddenly sprang into life and a fantastic pass from Lampard, who has been badly missed this season, set Drogba free and he hit the inside of the post with his shot.

The Blues could sense a goal and they increased the pressure on the visitors, which finally paid off in the 61st minute as Malouda scored his goal, which was followed by jubilant celebrations by both players and fans.

Bolton, determined as ever, made every attempt to score an equaliser, on another day they may have been successful, some desperate defending and a goal line clearance from Drogba was all that spared Chelsea, who did have opportunities to extend their lead late on in the game, and Essien had a goal ruled out for offside.

The win just about keeps Chelsea in the title race and will ease the pressure on manager Carlo Ancelotti, although the performance overall did leave much to be desired.

Premier League Review - Chelsea Beat Bolton

Premier League Match Time: Chelsea Vs Fulham

It's Premier League match time at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday as Chelsea host Fulham in this season's 12th round of matches.

Chelsea are back from an away loss to Liverpool, only their second this season, where Torres celebrated a glorious return to form with two precision strikes that brought the Merseysiders back into the reckoning.

Chelsea

After the game, Ancelotti would have mulled over his team selection at Anfield where he opted to bench Didier Drogba. In the circumstances, the Blues found themselves with a two goal deficit at the break, and the Ivorian eventually replaced Salomon Kalou in the second half.

Drogba got an opportunity in the form of a free kick that he shot wide. Liverpool's early strike dictated the rhythm of the game,and it gave the Merseysiders the confidence to call the shots in the first half. But the Reds appeared to lose nerve with about 25 minutes left in the game, and a strike by Chelsea at the time could have turned the game.

Anelka's shot got under Raina and bounced up and rebounded off the underside of the crossbar in what was the closest Ancelotti's charges came to scoring. Ramires, Zhirkov and Malouda also had chances go abegging, with Reina having a great day between the posts for Liverpool.

Chelsea need a fully fit Drogba in their line-up if they don't want to burn out before the season is through. Also, Ancelotti must be looking forward to Lampard's return to match fitness. In Lampard's absence the lack of creatuvity in midfield is palpable. The likes of Ramires and Zhirkov are not good enough against quality opposition.

But Lampard is likely to be rested against Fulham as the Blues' manager would want the midfielder fully fit for the Sunderland game.

Fulham have not won much after Mark Hughes became their manager. But they haven't lost many either. The squad have become draw specialists, and they lived up to this reputation against Aston Villa when a late goal from Hangeland helped staved off what would have been the Cottagers' second defeat of the season and salvage a point. Fulham have won just two matches this season and that places a question mark about their capacity to handle the better teams.

There was not much positive energy on display from Fulham in the Aston Villa game. Against Chelsea, they are likely to miss the absence of Zamora. While Chelsea have lost to their biggest rivals of the season thus far, in Manchester City and Liverpool, they have been clinical against lesser sides. The game against Fulham is likely to be no different.

Chelsea's starting eleven in the Liverpool game comprised: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Zhirkov, Kalou, Anelka and Malouda; Sturridge, Bosingwa and Drogba played as substitutes.

The following players were in Fulham's starting eleven against Aston Villa: Schwarzer, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido, Davies, Greening, Murphy, Gera, Dembele and Dempsey; Johnson, Kelly and Duff featured as substitutes.

Premier League Match Time: Chelsea Vs Fulham

Premier League Review - Chelsea Stun Manchester United

Chelsea blew the Premier League title race wide open again when they came from a goal behind to beat Manchester United, with ten games of the season remaining. Chelsea still have a mathematical chance of retaining the league title themselves, although they would have to win the majority of their remaining games while relying on other results to go in their favour.

United who started the game on the back of an impressive run of form, had amazingly not beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge since 2002. Chelsea however who have their worst run of form for many seasons were a huge fifteen points adrift of United before the start of the game.

Chelsea

The Blues, who left Didier Drogba on the bench in favour of a Fernando Torres and Nicolas Anelka strike partnership, started the game brightly, but the visitors soon found their stride, with crisp passing and fluent football.

Wayne Rooney, who controversially escaped a ban following his clash with Wigan's James McCarthy at the weekend, was jeered by the home fans every time he touched the ball. It was Rooney, however, that silenced the Chelsea fans after 29 minutes when he sent a long range shot into the Chelsea goal before celebrating in front of the Chelsea fans.

The Reds, who started with their first unchanged team for 165 games, continued to dominate play during the first half and prevented any real threat from the hosts, although a fine save from Edwin Van der Sar from a Frank Lampard free kick, six minutes before half time, should have set alarm bells ringing and reminded United of the nemesis that Chelsea have been over the last few years.

Chelsea's hero on the night proved to be David Luiz, who's arrival from Benfica in the January transfer window was somewhat overshadowed by the £50million signing of Fernando Torres. Luiz was impressive throughout the game and it was his unstoppable shot in the 54th minute that levelled the scores and threw the game wide open.

Both managers made positive, attacking substitutions, with Drogba replacing Anelka for the Blues and Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs coming on for United, which was a record 606th appearance for Giggs at the club where he began his professional career twenty years ago.

Neither side seemed happy with a draw and both teams went in search of a winning goal, the play and tackles were furious at times as both teams seemed to be playing for pride as much as the three points. After Chris Smalling made a clumsy challenge on Zhirkov in the 80th minute, Frank Lampard, whose impressive penalty record has wavered of late, made no mistake this time as he smashed home the spot kick to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead. Zhirkov nearly added a third goal for the Blues moments late but his shot was deflected onto the post.

To compound United's misery Vidic was sent off during injury time for a second book able offence, which means he will miss the important trip to Liverpool and the dismissal could leave United defensively weak.

The main beneficiaries of this game would appear to be Arsenal who are now just four points behind the leaders and have a game in hand, while Chelsea have consolidated their quest for a top four Premier League finish and entry into next years Champions League.

Premier League Review - Chelsea Stun Manchester United

Blooming Brilliant Chelsea Flower Show Packages

Every year, for five days during May, the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea are transformed into a plant paradise with thousands of glorious blooms, a selection of spectacular show gardens and the finest examples of horticultural excellence in the world at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show (23rd - 27th May 2006). Following the huge success of last year's inaugural Saturday opening, the show will open again on Saturday 27th May. Superbreak http://www.superbreak.com has put together a selection of very special overnight packages for budding gardeners, which include a full day's entry to the show.

Green fingered enthusiasts will be inspired by the show gardens, created by some of the world's leading garden designers, while the smaller courtyard, chic and city gardens will provide ideas that can fit into any sized plot. Saturday entrance also offers the chance to take some of the plants on display home with you as exhibitors sell off a selection of items from 4pm through to the final closing of the show at 5.30 pm!

Chelsea

Three star hotel + Chelsea Flower Show £95.50pp - Stay at the three-star President Hotel, a large property conveniently located on Russell Square, adjacent to the underground station. The hotel offers a popular cocktail bar and restaurant, as well as garage parking (fee payable locally). The price of £95.50 per person includes accommodation on Friday 26th May on a bed and full English breakfast basis and all day entrance to the Chelsea Flower Show on Saturday 27th May. Two share.

Four star hotel + Chelsea Flower Show £110.50 pp - Set in the heart of Mayfair, the Flemings Mayfair Hotel is located on historic Half Moon Street, a quiet street close to Green Park and Shepherds Market. The hotel has recently been refurbished but retains the charm of its original Georgian features. The price of £110.50 per person includes accommodation on Friday 26th May on a bed and full English breakfast basis and all day entrance to the Chelsea Flower Show. Two share.

Superbreak can also arrange return rail travel from any UK mainline station as part of the package.
Superbreak.com, incorporating Theatrebreak.com, is the internet division of Superbreak Mini Holidays Limited, the market leader for short breaks throughout the UK. Superbreak is part of Holidaybreak plc, a publicly quoted leisure company whose share price can be found in most major UK newspapers.

Blooming Brilliant Chelsea Flower Show Packages

Bratt Decor Chelsea Crib - Are Lifetime Cribs All They're Cracked Up To Be?

Have you seen cribs like the Bratt Decor Chelsea Lifetime Crib? This baby bed is fairly amazing.

It is astonishingly beautiful to look at and that's only the beginning. As a "lifetime" crib, it is designed to do just that - grow into a full-sized bed as your child grows - meaning that you won't ever need to buy another bed for your child.

Chelsea

Ever.

Interesting idea, to be sure. But lifetime beds do come with a substantial cost attached and that's the real key to this idea. Are they worth their price tag?

Let's look at the concept of lifetime cribs from the eye of a parent. I've raised four children and have seen plenty of beds come and go through our home. Here are some things you'll want to consider - both pro and con - before jumping on Bratt cribs' - or any other manufacturer's - lifetime baby bed bandwagon.

The good news first.

- Yes, lifetime cribs make good sense. They're high on the value scale. First a baby bed and then, with a full-size mattress and box springs addition, a complete adult bed.

- If you concentrate on quality when shopping, you'll be happier down the road. Trust me, this is a bed that will need to take abuse for many years.

Chances are high your child (and her friends) will jump on, kick, dance and dramatically throw themselves on this bed. So it goes without saying that it needs to be sturdy. Check for quality and look for other parents' comments on the durability of the bed you choose. Bratt Decor, for example, has a reputation of building quality baby cribs; this is something you can check out easily enough by visiting some parenting forums and asking questions.

- Are you planning on having more than one baby? Then a drop-dead beautiful and sturdy lifetime crib can make a lot of sense because you'll be needing a crib over and over.

- As I mentioned before, this particular brand of baby crib is gorgeous and frankly, I'm sure that's a huge selling point for this company. Some lifetime cribs come in plainer versions which may appeal more to you and may bring the price point down, as well.

Remember that a bed usually is the largest piece of furniture in a bedroom, which means you will want one you enjoy looking at for years. Such a consideration is a smart choice for both your eyes and your pocketbook.

And the bad news?

- Cost. Lifetime cribs often cost more than their counterparts and that's no surprise. After all, you're getting more bed. But be careful because the quality of baby cribs varies widely.

Go to a store where you can actually put your hands on these cribs and give them a shake (do make sure the demo cribs are completely assembled first for an accurate test). Sometimes the lower cost versions are quite wiggly; you can tell they are not going to stand up to much usage.

On the other hand, you can pay the equivalent of a cheap used car for some lifetime cribs. If you actually use that crib for the next eighteen plus years and never have to refinish or replace it, you may have just got yourself a deal.

- Let's be clear here; the crib is lifetime. The mattress is not. You will have to buy the mattress and box springs to convert these cribs into full-sized beds. But you'd have to purchase mattresses no matter what bed route you choose, so that cost is a wash in this discussion. Still, you need to keep it in mind.

- Some folks love heirloom furniture. Some like to redecorate on a shoestring every few years. A lifetime baby bed like the Bratt Decor Chelsea crib is for the former folks. If you are in the latter camp, then having a gorgeous bed that you are sick and tired of is definitely a point against this type of purchase.

When you add it all up, lifetime cribs make a lot of practical sense. Whether or not you decide to go with an upscale model like the Bratt Decor Chelsea Lifetime crib or a simpler baby bed really depends upon how much quality you want to pay for and if it will make you happy to be passing this crib onto your grandchildren some day.

Bratt Decor Chelsea Crib - Are Lifetime Cribs All They're Cracked Up To Be?

Chelsea Football Shirts - Show Your Support For the Blues

The new English Premier League Season has begun and many of you are glued to it every weekend. Some of you are lucky enough to witness these matches live in the stadium. But it's as much fun if you are watching them at home with your family or at the local pub with your mates. There is nothing more uplifting than a thrilling game of football. You don't even have to be an active participant, just being a spectator gives you such an adrenaline rush and drives your blues away.

Speaking of blues, you can only think of Chelsea Football Club, England's top team that dominated the season last year and has successfully challenged the might of Manchester United in the last few years. Things are looking bright this season as well and if you are a supporter, are you ready with your Chelsea Shirt to cheer on your team?

Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea has an illustrious history of over a century to boast of; the club has won dozens of trophies and produced some sensational players of their times. This year is no different. The names wearing Chelsea Football Shirts include the likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry. As loyal fans, you will be wearing your Chelsea Shirt with pride every time the team goes on the field and showing your allegiance to your favorite team.

Chelsea's fan base is not restricted to the UK but goes far beyond into remote pockets of Africa and Asia. In fact, people all over the world are watching the team with keen interest. So why should access to the prestigious Blue jersey be restricted to lucky ones living in the UK?

When it comes to football shirts cheap imitations that you can find in any town centre all over the world just don't cut it. If your passion is real the shirt should be authentic as well to go with it. That's why you need to look at online options to buy your Chelsea Football Shirts.

Benefits of buying football shirts online are:

You don't have to settle for cheap imitations but get original shirts and wear them with aplomb.

You might be based in a rainforest in Africa or on top of some mountain in Asia, it is still possible to get your favorite team's football shirt. What's more it will be delivered to your doorstep because online retailers are known to have excellent distribution system.

You can have shirts with your favorite player's name and jersey number printed on it. When it comes to your love for Chelsea, it's no less than Lampard's or Terry's.

You can buy half sleeve shirts, full sleeve winter shirts, home and away shirts, and the special Champions League jerseys all at the same time.

You can make bulk buys for your friends and family and avail of handsome discounts.

You don't have to restrict yourself to shirts but can buy other club merchandise as well.

If you are a true blue Chelsea supporter prove it in style.

Chelsea Football Shirts - Show Your Support For the Blues

Chelsea Boots Tips

There are few footwear styles that can say that they're suitable in the office and on the dance floor. Chelsea boots are one such footwear type that's happy pretty much anywhere. The key to wearing them is to pay attention to a few subtle nuances to make sure that you don't become a style disaster with this most beloved of boots.

Brown vs. Black
The main two shades that the leather of these boots can come in are both fantastic. The light or dark brown shades are just as exquisite as their black leather counterparts. However, they all have their place. Brown leather is generally not acceptable shade of leather in business circles, whereas black is always fine. Black is the truly versatile leather shade out of the two, but if you want to distinguish between your wardrobe choices, then have a brown pair for smart casual use.

Chelsea

Avoid other shades and ones with detail worked into the leather like the plague. They are the biggest fashion mistake you can make with this type of footwear.

Size
This is more to do with the sides rather than the foot size. Regardless of whether you are wearing these for a business or smart casual outfit, the suit trousers, jeans or corduroys that you wear need to be wide enough in the leg that they go past the sides of the boots. Having your trousers gather around the tops of your Chelsea boots will never look cool.

Outfit
As discussed already, black ones will work well with any business suit. Another area of more formal wear they work well with is outfits for formal events such as weddings or funerals. Yet getting them to work as part of a smart casual outfit demands a little more effort. A sleek casual smart look would see you wearing your boots with a dark pair of straight legged jeans a casual shirt and a suit jacket. A slightly less smart and more casual look would see you replace the shirt with a plain tee. Or, you could wear a casual shirt or tee with a jumper and the jeans or a pair of corduroys.

Chelsea Boots Tips

The Facts About Chelsea FC

I love my club, i just want to put on my TV and see my favourite colour- blue and my favourite team - Chelsea.

o Chelsea has sustained the fifth highest average all-time attendance in English football and regularly attract over 40,000 fans to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea FC

o Chelsea holds the record for the highest ever points total for a league season (95), the fewest goals conceded during a league season (15), the highest number of Premier League victories in a season (29), the highest number of clean sheets overall in a Premier League season (25) (all set during the 2004-05 season), and the most consecutive clean sheets from the start of a league season (6).

o Chelsea hold the record for the longest streak of unbeaten matches at home in the English top-flight, which lasted 86 matches from 20 March 2004 to 26 October 2008

o On 19 May 2007, Chelsea became the first team to win the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium, having also been the last to win it at the old Wembley

o On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first British side to field an entirely foreign starting line-up (no British or Irish players) in a Premier League match against Southampton

o Chelsea were the first English side to travel by aeroplane to a domestic away match, when they visited Newcastle United on 19 April 1957

o Chelsea Football Club is owned Russian billionaire- Roman Abramovich

o Chelsea FC's chairman is Bruce Buck from the United States of America

o Chelsea FC manager is Carlo Ancelotti From Italy

o Chelsea FC home is the 42, 055 capacity Stamford Bridge

o Chelsea FC is also nicknamed "The Blues"

The Facts About Chelsea FC

Should Liverpool Sell Steven Gerrard to Chelsea?

Times are looking bleak for Liverpool football club and for Liverpool fans across the globe. While the club's owners seem to show no interest in the club and are only concerned with their own financial gain, Liverpool have won just 3 games in 15 and have already been knocked out of the Champion's League before the knockout stages have even begun. On top of all of this, the club is in tremendous debt and it seems that they may soon have to sell some of their biggest stars (also known as 'assets') if they cannot make their annual interest payment of £20 million (brought about by their £300 million loan that was taken out two years ago).

Many fans fear that Liverpool may soon become the new Leeds United (who finished fourth in the Premier Division less than 10 years ago and are now playing in the third tier of English football) is problems are not sorted out on and off the field, and if the club don't finish in the top 4 league positions this year (thus earning them qualification to the Champion's League).

Chelsea

With news today that Chelsea are preparing to mount a £30 million bid to secure the services of Liverpool's 29 year old captain, should Liverpool sell their influential skipper in January? In my opinion they should either do one of two things; sell Gerrard (but not for £30 - for a figure nearer to £50m) or change their formation so that Gerrard plays as a right wing-back (much like Dani Alves does for Barcelona).

Should Liverpool Sell Steven Gerrard to Chelsea?

English Premier League - Manchester United Beat Chelsea in Weekend's Big Match

Manchester United and Alex Ferguson sent a message to the rest of Premier League yesterday and, I would suspect in particular, to the Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. Man Utd beat Chelsea easily 3 - 0 at Old Trafford on Sunday in the English Premier League's big game of the weekend. Ferguson, if he didn't already, now believes his club can catch Liverpool and retain the title by beating the other teams at the top of the table.

This was Man Utd's and Ferguson's, first win over the other potential title contender this season. Earlier in the week Ferguson had, somehow, unsettled Benitez, the Liverpool manager. So much so in fact, that the Spaniard launched into a pre-meditated diatribe against Ferguson in his Friday press conference about his alleged influence over officials. In reply to what the Liverpool manager's attack, Ferguson said after the game yesterday, "I think you have got to cut through the venom of it and hopefully he will reflect and understand that what he is saying was absolutely ridiculous. He is an angry man and I think he was disturbed for some reason or another -- that is all I've got to say about it."

Chelsea

Ferguson is certainly the master of the mind games and it would appear that he has certainly won one over on Benitez. The Premier League game between the two famous rivals at Old Trafford in March will be interesting to see how the two react with each other, never mind the fact the result of that game could go along way to deciding the final destination of the Championship.

Anyway, so far this season Utd have already drawn 1 - 1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in September, drawn 0-0 at Villa in November, and lost away to both Arsenal and Liverpool. However, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal all still have to visit Old Trafford and it looks like Man Utd are starting to time their push for the top with perfection again.

It was Man Utd's central defender Vidic who headed the opener just before half-time then strikers Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov scored one each as United. The win now means that Utd are only one point behind Chelsea.

United now have 41 points, which is still five behind Liverpool, but the current champions have two games in hand over their rivals. United can therefore move into first place should they beat Wigan and Bolton later this week.

However, back at Old Trafford it was a poor day at the office for Chelsea and their boss Phil Scolari who had previously said this match was absolutely crucial to his team's chances of regaining the championship they last won in 2006. Perhaps he put too much pressure on his players as Chelsea failed to get a single shot on target, even playing with three strikers for the final 10 minutes.

Scolari has seen his future come under increased speculation in the British press in recent weeks with some poor results. His team has stumbled against the backdrop of alleged unrest in the dressing room, as well as financial restrictions in the transfer market during the January window due to the current financial crisis.

Scolari said, "Now is the time for me and my players to think about our future: have we lost everything or are we men and do we improve? It's only this way or the second way is death.

"We know, all the fans know and the press knows if we play like the second half we won't arrive." His English still isn't too good but you can certainly understand what he means.

Chelsea have only won one of it's last five Premier League games, which is hardly championship form. Chelsea's next game is in just three days when they visit Southend in an FA Cup 3rd round reply. Should Chelsea lose that game, the alarm bells will certainly be ringing in south west London!

There was also a very interested spectator at Old Trafford yesterday. Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, now the coach at Inter Milan was sat in the stands. Inter of course are due to play Man Utd next month in the last 16 of this season's UEFA Champions League. He must have been glad he wasn't still in charge of Chelsea however, Man Utd's performance will certainly have given him something to think about ahead of his return with Inter.

English Premier League - Manchester United Beat Chelsea in Weekend's Big Match

English Premier League - Season 2009/2010 - Chelsea Win Premiership Title on Last Day

Chelsea are Champions of England. In the final day Chelsea had to win their home game against Wigan. They did it style winning it by 8 goals to nil. What a tanking that was. I think Wigan should next time just forfeit the game and take a nap. Perhaps that's what Wigan did in the second half. Chelsea were only two goals up at the break. Then a Dider Drogba second half hatrick sealed Chelsea's first title in 4 years. Carlo Ancelotti has managed to take essentially the same team that didn't perform to its best under the Phil Scolari reign to the top of the premiership.

Carlo Ancelotti basically went back to the 4 4 3 system that was so successful under Jose Mourinho. With Dider Drogba scoring 29 goals this season in the premier league. Frank Lampard contributed is regular 20 plus goals. Between these two players Chelsea have scored 50 goals. These two players managed more that the total number of goals scored by Portsmouth. Under Ancelotti, Chelsea have handed out 7 goal thrashings to Sunderland, Stoke City and Aston Villa. And in their final game of the season 2009/2010 they went one better. Chelsea have managed to score 103 goals in the 38 league games. This is a premier league record.

Chelsea

With this premiership win Chelsea have won their 4th title. They can now look forward to claiming the FA Cup on Saturday against relegated Portsmouth. Whether Portsmouth can even managed to field a decent first 11 will be a challenge. I can safety say I will eat my hat if Portsmouth actually win the final. Three cheers for Chelsea. At least the stopped Manchester United from over hauling Liverpool's 18 title record. Just hope that Torres stays and scores 50 goals next season.

English Premier League - Season 2009/2010 - Chelsea Win Premiership Title on Last Day

Champions League Preview: Chelsea Vs Marseille

For Chelsea, the Champions League Group F game against Marseille, on Tuesday, presents an opportunity to regain morale after two losses, last week.

The first was a mid-week defeat by Newcastle in the Carling Cup, the second, a Premier League capitulation to Manchester City. Carlos Tevez struck once for Manchester City, and let the defenders do the rest, to seal Chelsea's first defeat of the season.

Chelsea

The fact that the Champions League encounter is a home match at Stamford Bridge should be cause for comfort among Carlo Ancelotti's men.

Marseille manager Deschamps is no stranger to Stamford Bridge as he once had a brief stint at the helm of the London squad. The Frenchman also had a previous visit with Monaco, for a Champions League game, and Chelsea's loss in that match saw the Premier League champions crash out of the European tournament.

The last French team to visit Stamford Bridge was Bordeaux, on Laurent Blanc's watch. Chelsea was the winner on that occasion slamming in four goals while not conceding any. Marseille will not want to meet the same fate.

Marseille lost their opening match in Group F, a game in which they hosted Spartak Moscow. So the pressure will be on the French team to stave off defeat in the away game to Ancelotti's men.

Chelsea are certain to use the match as a redemption opportunity following their loss at the City of Manchester Stadium, on Saturday. But their cause is not likely to be helped by the absence of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

Lampard has been advised rest after a hernia operation; Drogba is serving a suspension. Lampard's absence in midfield was a key factor in Chelsea's first defeat of the Premiership season.

Apart from Lampard and Drogba, Benayoun and Salomon Kalou will also not be available in the Marseille game, owing to injury.

Chelsea have already recorded a win in Group F, seeing off MSK Zilina in an away match, earlier this month. That was a convincing 4-1 victory, and Ancelotti will be hoping for a similar showing by his squad against the French visitors.

Daniel Sturridge is likely to partner Anelka in place of Drogba, and this could be a great opportunity for Sturridge to showcase his skills. The teenager already has a Premier League goal this season.

The pressure will be on Marseille as a loss could see them crash out of the Champions League, while Chelsea are more or less certain of qualifying for the next stage.

Despite their overweaning European ambitions, Chelsea will have an eye on their Premier league fortunes, even as they use the Marseille game to hone their act, ahead of the Arsenal match on Sunday.

Champions League Preview: Chelsea Vs Marseille

Chelsea Troubles Continue

Snowfall, cold weather, poor playing conditions forced postponement of Man United match with newly promoted Blackpool. It gave Chelsea a chance to reclaim the top spot. With John Terry back and playing in front of home crowd against Everton it looked as if Champions will grab the top position.

Match started and first half was just an OK type of performance by the home team. They were lucky to get a penalty in the final minutes of first half. Drogba converted the penalty and at the end of the half it was a goal advantage.

Chelsea

Second half started and Everton started playing as if they are the home team. Number of chances were created by them and their efforts were rewarded with a goal. The equalizer produced more spirit in the visitors and Chelsea were no where near to their traditional fighting spirit.

Chelsea were lucky that they did not lose the match. They did not play the way their fans expected them to perform. It was a strange performance by Chelsea and a mystery for team management that why such a good bunch of players are not performing.

Absence of John Terry had exposed the Champions defenders. His return from the injury was considered good both for the defenders and team, as his leadership qualities were greatly missed in his absence. Terry was back but still Chelsea is in trouble. It will take some time for them to regain the form but the points they are losing on their way may cost them the title.

Chelsea Troubles Continue

EPL Team Profile - Chelsea

The formal name of the club is Chelsea Football Club. The squad are popularly referred to as the Blues, or the Pensioners.

Founded in 1905, Chelsea host their home matches at Stamford Bridge, in London, which can seat over 41,000 spectators.

Chelsea Football Club

The owner of the club is Roman Abramovich, the chairman, Bruce Buck, and the manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

The squad won the Premiership last season, and they are favourites to retain their title.

After enjoying eminent success in top tier English football in the sixties and seventies, Chelsea went into decline in the eighties and nineties, only winning their next major championship, the FA Cup, in 1997.

They have won the Premiership three times in all, first winning it in 2004-05, and retaining it in the following season.

In two matches played in the ongoing season, the Blues have recorded identical wins of 6-0, over West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic.

Pre-season review:

Before Carlo Ancelotti took the rein at Stamford Bridge, Avram Grant and Phil Scolari were handed it, in turn, only to have it taken away.

If Ancelotti has survived where redoubtable managers like Grant and Scolari failed, the reason lies in Chelsea's winning of the Premiership, on Ancelotti's watch, in his very first season.

Can Ancelotti, in only his second season, do it a second time running? In his first, Ancelotti kept Manchester United at bay, demonstrating, in the process, why he had been rated so highly at AC Milan.

That said, the Chelsea squad aren't getting any younger; Didier Drogba, for instance is in his thirty third year.

Michael Essien is emerging from two years clouded by injury, and his presence in midfield could give Chelsea a winning edge, this season.

Ashley Cole has stayed with Chelsea, despite rumours of migration to Real Madrid, and is arguably the world's best left back.

But his publicized comments about the English haven't gone down well with local football fans and Cole could come under heavy strafing, especially in away games. Much depends on whether or not he keeps his head.

The following players make up the Stamford Bridge squad:

Cech, Terry, Paulo Ferreira, Cole, Alex, Essien, Mikel, Malouda, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba, Ivanovic, Hilario, Zhirkov, Benayoun, Sturridge, Kalou, and Van Aanholt.

Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun is a major summer signing while Joe Cole's departure is an offset.

Deco and Michael Ballack, their best footballing years behind them, have gone home.

There's no doubting Chelsea's quality. But as the season wears on, the ages of their star players is likely to come increasingly into focus.

Whether it is Scholes, or John Terry, or Lampard or Drogba, their fitness is bound to be called into question, sooner or later. Can Ancelotti then turn to his younger lot to bail the squad out?

EPL Team Profile - Chelsea