Chelsea play down pre-Cup final bust-up
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Chelsea have played down suggestions of an alleged bust-up between coach Henk ten Cate and captain John Terry prior to Sunday's Carling Cup Final defeat by Tottenham. The pair were reported to have been pulled apart by other players after a training ground row. The confrontation was understood to have been seen by the club's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich who was visiting the training ground.
Eyewitnesses reportedly saw Ten Cate face up to England captain Terry during Saturday's session and with the pair trading swear words and insults, other players had to step in to defuse the row. Terry, like the rest of the squad, had not been told whether he would be in Avram Grant's side to face Tottenham at Wembley. But the centre half, who had been omitted from the Champions League game against Olympiacos the previous Tuesday, was included in the team along with Frank Lampard.
Stuck in the middle: Didier Drogba wedges himself between the Blues' alleged warring factions John Terry (No 26) and Henk ten Carte (right) at Wembley
Holders Chelsea relinquished their grip on the trophy after going ahead in the first half through Didier Drogba as goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Jonathan Woodgate gave Spurs their first silverware since 1999. A Chelsea spokesperson dismissed the row suggestions and said: "All our focus is on our next game."
That game is at West Ham on Saturday when Chelsea hope to shake off the memory of the Wembley defeat and continue their push for a third Barclays Premier League title in four years. One eyewitness to Terry's spat with Ten Cate reportedly claimed: "The session was supposed to put the finishing touches to the final plans for Wembley - but it just descended into a massive row.
"There was a lot of unrest among the squad because no one knew what the team was going to be for Wembley. "Everyone was trying to guess what was going on and in the end the frustration became too much. But the intensity of the row took everyone by surprise. "John and Ten Cate were right in each other's faces and when it became clear that neither was going to back down, other players jumped between them to pull them apart.
"To make matters worse, Mr Abramovich was visiting the training ground and saw the whole thing." Dutchman Ten Cate was appointed first team coach last October but despite the row, Terry insisted yesterday that the preparations for the final had not been affected by the doubts over team selection.
He said: "The manager keeps it all very close to his chest and none of us knew until Sunday and that is how it has been in every game. "So there was no change or excuse. That is the way it has got to be, it keeps everyone on their toes and as a group of players we have to deal with it."
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HENK TEN F-word war with skipper Terry.
HENK TEN CATE last night admitted he had a furious F-word bust-up with Chelsea skipper John Terry.
The Blues’ Dutch coach confirmed yesterday’s SunSport’s exclusive and confessed his part in the row which has rocked Stamford Bridge.
Ten Cate said: “We are both kind of emotional — but we respect each other fully.
“We just had a discussion about the intensity of the training session. That’s a normal part of the game. There have been a few F-words, no doubt. But that’s common in England.”
The 53-year-old coach also admitted there was tension before the Carling Cup final.
Quoted on the Dutch newspaper AD website, Ten Cate said: “There was a special tension on Saturday.
“We have 27 players and three keepers but only a few of them could play.
“John wanted to have even more intensity in training but I didn’t agree as we were just one day before the match. That was all. Me and John get on well. John won’t disagree.”
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Grant should have annouced them(the players) earlier. Give them sometime to get themselves ready to win the cup. Instead of saying it during the last minute.
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Yeah and they didn't even spend the week training for the final cause nobody knew who was gonna play. WTF?
The difference between the special one and an ordinary one.
One has never lost a final, the other lost in his very first. In fact it looks more like a Steve Clarke/ Cate team rather then a Grant's team.
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bring josey back
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The worst of all is Joe Cole not inside and wth? Ballack subbed in 2minutes before the end of the match.
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'Ballack Fuming After Lamps Chat Left Him On Bench'
Michael Ballack and Ashley Cole will reportedly demand talks with Avram Grant this week after their omissions from Sunday's Carling Cup final side.
Ballack has been described as 'fuming' by the Daily Express after Grant apparently changed his original plans to include Frank Lampard.
Neither Terry or Lampard was scheduled to face Tottenham at Wembley but Lampard met with Grant on Thursday and the Israeli changed his mind.
Terry was then told on Saturday night that he too would play instead of Alex, who had impressed in his absence.
Grant also changed his mind over Didier Drogba, who was originally going to start the game on the bench, with Nicolas Anelka taking on the lone striker role he had filled in Drogba's absence.
That meant Chelsea had just one training session in which Anelka trained on the left side of a three-man attack.
Grant had intended to reward the players who had taken Chelsea to the final with a Wembley trip but it seems that he changed his mind after pressure from senior players.
Joe Cole was probably the unluckiest player, as he was left on the bench to accommodate Anelka and Drogba, but it is Ashley Cole who is also said to be "furious" with Grant as Wayne Bridge was preferred at left-back.
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Oh yes, and selecting Wayne Bridge as the left-black, PENALTY!!! hahaha(although I feel its ball to hand).
Wonder if Ashley Cole will make the same mistake anot...
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Wayne Bridge was a joker... He was like juggling the ball with both his hands... How to not give handball...
