Sunday Times

Phil Scolari booed as Blues flop

Chelsea 0 Hull City 0

Joe Lovejoy at Stamford Bridge

THEY were not about to admit it, but Chelsea tumbled out of the title
race with this bankrupt performance against a team without a win in
nine Premier League matches. Hull had some outstanding chances,
especially in the second half, and with decent finishing would have
won against more celebrated opponents, whose increasingly
disillusioned supporters chorused "You don't know what you're doing"
at Luiz Felipe Scolari as their team stumbled from bad to worse.

Ominously for the Chelsea manager, there was a banner unfurled bearing
the legend "Scolari out, Zola/Di Matteo Chelsea Legends." Against this
background, Chelsea dropped to fourth in the table, behind Aston
Villa, who are their next opponents in the Premier League.

Before that they travel to play Watford in the FA Cup on Saturday and
on this evidence the Championship side cannot be written off.

Hull, without a win since December 6, travelled as no-hopers after
sliding into free-fall, but defended assiduously when required to do
so, then hit back hard and fully deserved their point.

Chelsea fans were left shaking their heads, unable to come to terms
with their team's decline since coming so close to a clean sweep of
honours last season. Scolari swerved to avoid the customary postmatch
press conference, leaving it to assistant Ray Wilkins to admit that
paying spectators were entitled to express their disapproval.

"Second best is never good enough for Chelsea", he said. "Whenever
someone manages a side like ours, there will always be pressure on
them, but it wasn't very pleasant to hear the booing. It came from a
minority. Phil clearly does know what he's doing, having won a lot of
trophies, and it was a tad out of order. I don't think he understood
what was being said, and I won't be telling him."

Chelsea gave a debut to Ricardo Quaresma, signed on loan from Jose
Mourinho's Interna-zionale, but played him on the left where, as a
right-footer, he was never likely to be at his best. He was more
effective than Salomon Kalou, on the opposite flank, but most are.

Kalou had two decent opportunities in the first half, but made a hash
of both. Frank Lampard, Quaresma and Michael Ballack also threatened,
but Michael Turner and Kamil Zayatte were rock-solid in central
defence for Hull, who had the best chance before the interval, when
Kevin Kilbane's header shaved Henrique Hilario's left-hand upright. In
the second half Hull's artisans were the better team.

They might have scored when Geovanni's header was blocked and should
have done so when the Brazilian broke away and exchanged passes with
Craig Fagan, who chose to chip and lofted the ball straight at Hilario
when Geovanni was free, in a much better position. Scolari ran through
the gamut of substitutions – Belletti, Drogba and Deco – to no avail,
and midway through the second half Dean Marney, set up by Geovanni,
was tantalisingly close with a shot from left to right.

Kalou tested Matt Duke in the closing stages, but in the 90th minute
Ian Ashbee might have won it with a volley after Marney's corner.

After six successive defeats and a draw with West Brom last week, Phil
Brown was "ecstatic", and praised his players for their "outstanding"
work rate. He said: "We could have won it after turning the tide with
sheer hard work in the second half. On a good day, Craig Fagan might
have had a hat-trick. I thought Geovanni was excellent. I don't worry
about his football, it's his all-round effort that impressed me
today."

Wilkins tried to sound defiant but was unconvincing when he said:
"Every game now is going to be a challenge. We won't give up the fight
for the title until it's mathematically impossible."

Booed Phil was conspicuous by his absence. Yesterday, it was Hull's
Brown who was the "Big Phil" at Stamford Bridge.

CHELSEA:Hilario 6, Bosingwa 6, Alex 6, Terry 6,A Cole 6, Mikel 5
(Belletti 57min, 5), Ballack 5 (Deco 73min), Lampard 7, Kalou 5,
Anelka 5, Quaresma 6 (Drogba 63min)

HULL:Duke 6, Ricketts 6, Turner 8, Zayatte 8, Daw-son 7, Garcia 6,
Ashbee 6, Marney 6, Kilbane 6, Geovanni 7 (France 81min), Fagan 5

MOURINHO TEAM SCORED MORE

If ever there was a game that guaranteed goals then it was this one
between the Premier League's top scorers, Chelsea, and its worst
defence, Hull City. Ooops! Despite their so-called more expansive
football, Chelsea twice under Jose Mourinho had more goals at this
stage of the season than they have at the moment. In his first
campaign, 2004-05, they had 49 goals, while in 2005-06 they had scored
52 goals after 25 matches. In 2006-07, his only other full season,
they had hit 44 goals, the same as now



-------------------------------------------------------------


Telegraph:


Chelsea's title hopes left in tatters as fans taunt Luiz Felipe Scolari
Chelsea (0) 0 Hull City (0) 0

By Jonathan Wilson at Stamford Bridge

Their title hopes are surely gone, and the challenge for Chelsea now
is to finish in the top four this season and secure Champions League
qualification. There may not have been a fire, but as a rogue alarm
drowned out the majority of Ray Wilkins's post-match press conference,
the sense of emergency at Stamford Bridge was real enough. Arsenal
will be just three points behind if they win at Tottenham, and with
Aston Villa two clear in third, Chelsea's match at Villa Park in a
fortnight is looking increasingly vital.

"You'll see second, third and fourth change a lot," said Wilkins - a
tacit admission, perhaps, that the title has gone, although he did his
best to cover for the slip. "Second is not at any time good enough for
Chelsea, and you can't give up on the title when you look at the
quality we have."

Chants of "You don't know what you're doing" rang around Stamford
Bridge for much of the second half and if, as Wilkins said, such
claims are "a tad out of order" when Luiz Felipe Scolari has a record
of success, a certain frustration is readily understandable. Chelsea
have dropped 16 points at home this season, and even the usual excuse
about opponents who park the bus — as though good defending were
somehow a faux pas — didn't wash.

"When the fans are chanting things like that, I'm not sure managers
from foreign countries understand," Wilkins said. "I won't tell him.

It's unnecessary and I don't think it should be heard round our
stands. It's a minority who start it and others join in. People pay a
lot of money and they want to boo that's up to them." Dissent may be
limited, but it is growing. "Scolari out," shrieked one banner. "Zola
- Di Matteo Chelsea legends."

Hull have gone nine league games without a victory, and yet by the end
they looked the likelier to score. Perhaps they would have folded had
John Terry stabbed in from three yards after the Hull goalkeeper Matt
Duke had fumbled a Frank Lampard free-kick in the second minute, but
he didn't and they didn't, instead looking increasingly like the
vibrant Hull of the early part of the season. Phil Brown, their
manager, even felt confident enough to exchange a joke with Didier
Drogba before he went on for his customary ineffectual cameo midway
through the second half. "I asked him to take it easy," Brown said.

These days, you probably don't have to ask.

Ricardo Quaresma, brought in on loan from Internazionale to add width
and creative flair, was fleetingly impressive, although his obvious
preference for his right foot — even to the extent of awkwardly
scooping in crosses with the outside of his boot — was baffling for a
player deployed on the left.

Still, it took a stretching, fingertip save from Matt Duke to deny him
a debut goal as he capitalised on Salomon Kalou's rapid break. It was
Quaresma, though, who was withdrawn after 64 minutes for Drogba, in
the familiar switch to 4-4-2 that only seems to make Chelsea ;look
more disjointed. It's not just that he and Anelka show little sign of
striking up an understanding; they barely seem to acknowledge they're
wearing the same colour shirt.

Wilkins insisted that Chelsea's problems are to do with anxiety in
front of goal, but other flaws are all too obvious. The crossed ball
causes Chelsea palpitations, and Kevin Kilbane was unfortunate, having
met a Sam Ricketts cross five minutes before half-time, to see his
header clip the outside of the post. And then there were the unforced
errors — passes carelessly misplaced and possession cheaply
squandered.

Individual errors, perhaps, can be attributed to a dearth of
confidence, but there systemic failings in Chelsea's back four as
well. The onus Scolari places on his full-backs to provide attacking
width is clearly a contributory factor, but with passing game credence
is added to the theory that the departure of Steve Clarke, the
assistant coach, for West Ham has had a deleterious effect. Chelsea
may talk about missed chances, but the truth is that Craig Fagan, Dean
Marney and Ian Ashbee all went home last night thinking they had
wasted chances to win it.


-----------------------------------------------------------


Mirror:


Chelsea fans boo off the Blues as title hopes suffer blow from Hull

Chelsea 0 - 0 Hull

Chelsea's fading title aspirations sustained another massive blow as
they failed to overcome hard-working Hull and were booed off by their
own fans at Stamford Bridge.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's side have now dropped 16 points at home this
season and after Aston Villa's win at Blackburn, they slipped into
fourth place in the Barclays Premier League.

Hull, without a win in nine league games, became the latest side to
frustrate Chelsea on their home turf and with some more composed
finishing in front of goal, City may well have taken all three points.

Perhaps the omens were there for Chelsea as early as the second minute
when a free-kick from Frank Lampard found John Terry inside the
six-yard box.

The Chelsea captain's first instinctive effort was saved by Matt Duke
but when the ball rebounded back to him just two yards out, he somehow
contrived to send his second shot over the bar.

New boy Ricardo Quaresma, on loan from Inter Milan for the remainder
of the season, showed some nice early touches.

Hull were kept relatively quiet in the opening moments but Geovanni
was just off target with an angled volley from 20 yards in the 10th
minute.

Eight minutes later another quick Hull break allowed Geovanni to try
his luck again from 20 yards but his shot was deflected off Terry for
a corner.

But the resultant free-kick was cleared and Quaresma almost opened the
scoring when Chelsea broke on the counter.

The home side's quick attack had been led by the galloping Salomon
Kalou and his pass allowed Quaresma to try and curl the ball around
Duke, but the winger's shot was tipped round the post by the Hull
goalkeeper.

It was all Chelsea and Michael Ballack was narrowly wide with an
angled drive as the Blues stepped up the pace.

Hull were defending valiantly as another Chelsea attack saw a shot
from Kalou cleared superbly by Kevin Kilbane.

But Hull responded bravely and John Obi Mikel was booked for a
bringing down Geovanni after the City striker had made him look quite
pedestrian.

Geovanni could not punish Chelsea from the free-kick which he sent
over Hilario's crossbar from 20 yards.

On the half-hour mark, Ballack was sent sprawling by Kamil Zayatte 20
yards from the Hull goal but referee Lee Mason did not produced a card
to the fury of the home fans.

Ballack almost made the visitors pay with his free-kick which he
curled around the City wall only for it to hit the side netting.

It was the spark for another sustained spell of Chelsea pressure.
First Kalou caused panic in the Hull defence when he danced into the
area only to see his pass to Anelka intercepted by Michael Turner.

Then a corner from Lampard found the head of Terry but his effort was
well saved by Duke.

Another free-kick from Lampard in the 34th minute smashed straight
into the groin of the unfortunate Zayatte, who was unsurprisingly left
pole axed on the ground.

The Hull player returned to the fray after a spell of treatment and
the visitors almost stunned the home side in the 40th minute when
Kilbane headed a cross from Samuel Ricketts just inches wide of an
upright.

Hull captain Ian Ashbee was booked in the 47th minute for his latest
niggling foul on Ballack.

A free-kick by Hull's Dean Marney four minutes later had Chelsea's
defence in trouble until Alex managed to clear the danger.

Moments later Craig Fagan beat Mikel to the ball and sped clear of the
Chelsea defence but the City midfielder's attempted chip was caught
easily by Hilario.

There was little to indicate that Chelsea had the guile to break the
deadlock and the home fans were beginning to vent their frustration.

Scolari replaced the ineffective Mikel with Juliano Belletti in the
56th minute, but the initial change did nothing to spark Chelsea and
so Scolari opted to replace Quaresma with Didier Drogba in the 63rd
minute.

In the 67th minute Hull wasted a gilt-edged chance to open the scoring
when Geovanni carved open the Chelsea defence with a perfect through
ball for Marney.

The Hull player probably did not realise how much time he had as he
screwed his shot just beyond the far post.

Referee Mason waved away penalty appeals from Chelsea when Andy Dawson
appeared to handle the ball inside the penalty area.

Chelsea's last change of the afternoon was to replace Ballack with
Deco in the 72nd minute.

In the 78th minute, Duke dived low to his left to keep out a shot from Kalou.

Four minutes from time Drogba sent a free-kick wide of the target to
complete a miserable afternoon for the Blues.


------------------------------------------------------------


Mail:


Chelsea 0 Hull City 0: Scolari in the firing line as Chelsea flop again

By IAN RIDLEY

The mood is turning at Stamford Bridge. For most of the season so far,
Luiz Felipe Scolari has received the backing of the home support
through some transitional times, but on Saturday he was forced to
endure a chorus from a corner of the ground that insisted he did not
know what he was doing and, at the final whistle, the jeers of more.
The Brazilian could hardly be blamed, though, for the wayward
finishing of his labouring side, nor the liveliness of a Hull City
side beginning to recapture their inspiring form of early season.
Still, Chelsea's title challenge is fading, a debut for the Portuguese
loan signing Ricardo Quaresma from Inter Milan failing to add the
immediate width and cutting edge they were seeking.
Hull will care little. With Geovanni showing neat touches ahead of a
resolute defence, they prised a precious point and might even have
taken all three had they hit the target, with Hilario looking unsure
in the home goal in the absence of the injured Petr Cech.

Who would have thought it - the team with the best goals-for record
against the one with the worst goals-against record before kickoff
producing a goalless draw!
Certainly it looked a foregone conclusion on paper. Prior to last
Sunday's defeat at Liverpool, Chelsea had won four in a row while
Hull's point against West Bromwich last weekend was their first in
seven games, a run that saw them bottom of the form table and in the
bottom half of the real table for the first time this season. That win
at Arsenal in early season was beginning to look a long time ago.
It looked as if it would be even more remote as Chelsea tore at them
in seeking to restore quickly any confidence that had drained after
Anfield. They should have had a lead inside 90 seconds, indeed, when
Frank Lampard swung in a corner from the left which eluded all and
forced Hull goalkeeper Matt Duke into a hasty save. From the rebound,
John Terry fired the ball over the bar from no more than three yards.

For a while it looked as if it would not matter, that it was only a
matter of time before Chelsea took the lead. Quaresma was showing some
neat touches, notably in crossing from the left with the outside of
his right boot, and saw a curling shot tipped just wide by Duke.
Gradually, having survived an early onslaught, Hull became emboldened.
In the absence of the injured Daniel Cousin, Craig Fagan was holding
the ball well up front and supplying Geovanni, who was replacing the
suspended Bernard Mendy, with some decent opportunities. On one
occasion the Brazilian flashed a cross-shot just wide before seeing
another deflected.
Hull also looked dangerous in the air and from set-pieces, with
Chelsea still uncertain about their marking system at the back.

Michael Turner got in a header from Dean Marney's corner that was
scrambled away before Kevin Kilbane went even closer, his downward
header from Sam Ricketts' cross finishing narrowly wide. Chelsea were
close when Michael Ballack curled a free-kick into the side-netting
but they grew edgier, less composed in front of goal as the half
progressed. They needed a goal to quell an anxiety going around
Stamford Bridge.
It was Hull, though, who went the closer early in the second half.
Breaking from a Chelsea corner, Geovanni sent Fagan racing clear but,
instead of playing in Marney at the far post, he tried a chip that
merely sailed into Hilario's hands.

Marney did get the ball at his feet soon after with just Hilario to
beat, from a piercing through-ball by Geovanni. He dragged it across
goal, however, with the goalkeeper stranded.
Scolari's response to the growing tension had been to send on Didier
Drogba for Quaresma to prompt the home support's discontent and then
he introduced Deco for Ballack. Nothing was doing, though. Scolari was
left shaking his head, the home support shouting the odds.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Hilario; Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, A Cole; Ballack (Deco
73min), Mikel (Belletti 57), Lampard; Quaresma (Drogba 63), Anelka,
Kalou. Subs (not used): Taylor, Ivanovic, Di Santo, Stoch. Booked:
Ashbee, Garcia.
HULL (4-4-1-1): Duke; Ricketts, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson; Garcia,
Ashbee, Marney, Kilbane; Geovanni (France 81); Fagan. Subs (not used):
Myhill, Doyle, Barmby, Hughes, Halmosi, Manucho. Booked: Ashbee,
Garcia.
Referee: L Mason (Lancashire).


----------------------------------------------------------


Indy:


Fans turn on Scolari as Chelsea settle for less

Chelsea 0 Hull City 0

By Glenn Moore at Stamford Bridge

An hour into this match, with Chelsea labouring against the team with
the worst defensive record in the Premier League, a team who had won
one point in 21, Luiz Felipe Scolari made a substitution. When it
became clear that Ricardo Quaresma was going to have his debut
curtailed, the mutiny began.

"You don't know what you're doing," came the accusation from the
Matthew Harding Stand, where Chelsea's most dedicated fans sit.

Whether he saw the match on television, or simply reads the result in
Pravda, the again-absent Roman Abramovich may himself ask the same
question. Unless West Ham do them a rare favour at Upton Park today
Chelsea's title challenge must be regarded as all but over. Their
failure to beat a Hull team who arrived on an apparently unstoppable
downward spiral leaves them four points adrift of Manchester United,
who have two games in hand. The issue now is ensuring that they
qualify for one of the three automatic Champions' League places, for
Chelsea now trail third-placed Aston Villa.

Does Scolari know what he is doing? As it happens, he did in the case
in point. Quaresma has hardly played in recent months, having been
estranged at Internazionale, from whom he is loaned, and after a
bright start had faded. It was risking injury to keep him on.

However, the continued omission of Didier Drogba, and the refusal to
adapt his system, invites the question. Scolari refused to answer
himself but Ray Wilkins, his assistant, mounted a vigorous defence.

"He does know what he is doing," said Wilkins. "He has been in the
game a long time and when you look at what he has won [World Cup,
World Club Championship, etc] it is a tad out of order. It is
unnecessary and not very pleasant to hear. I don't think it should be
heard in our stadium."

All through Wilkins' press conference the fire alarm was ringing. "Is
it an emergency, Ray?" he was asked. Acknowledging the question
referred to the prospect of Chelsea's season going up in flames rather
than the ground, he insisted it was not.

But then he added, in reference to Chelsea dropping to fourth: "You
will see a lot of changes between positions two, three and four
between now and the end of the season."

What about first? "It will be tough to catch [Manchester United] – but
we will give it a go. Second is never good enough for a club of
Chelsea's standing. There is no way we will give up with the talent we
have in the club."

That talent, however, is not performing. Chelsea have taken 17 points
from 12 matches. Mid-table form, at best. Inevitably confidence is
fragile, Wilkins admitted the team looked "anxious". They needed a
good start, and should have had one.

In the first minute Frank Lampard curled in a free-kick, Michael
Ballack flicked on, and Matt Duke parried. The ball fell to John
Terry, unchallenged, three yards from goal. Somehow he scooped it
over.

"Had that gone in I'm sure we would have gone on and won comfortably,"
said Wilkins. "We would have come back and won 2-1," said Phil Brown,
tongue rather more in cheek.

Hull could have easily won their first match here in more than a
century of trying – they were Chelsea's first visitors in 1905 –
having made and missed the best chances. Five minutes before the break
Kevin Kilbane rose to head a Sam Ricketts cross against the outside of
the post. Five minutes after the interval Alex cleared a goalbound
header from Geovanni after a Dean Marney free-kick.

Next, from a breakaway, the busy Craig Fagan beat John Obi Mikel to
the ball, but, withonly Hilario to beat, chipped weakly into the
keeper's arms. Then Marney, after a flowing move between himself and
Geovanni, shot just wide.

And what of Chelsea? Quaresma, having unveiled his trademark
outside-of-the-foot cross early on, drew a fine save from Duke after
19 minutes following a counterattack.

Ballack hit the side-netting with a free-kick then JohnTerry had a
dangerous headerblocked. There was also a penalty appeal after Salomon
Kalou's thumping shot had struck Andy Dawson's arm. Finally, with fans
making an early exit, Chelsea won a well-placed free-kick.

Drogba and Lampard stood over it, then Drogba thumped well wide.
Lampard looked pensive. So too, when the final whistle went soon after
to a crescendo of boos and he headed sharpish for the tunnel, did
Scolari.

Attendance: 41,802

Referee: Lee Mason

Man of the match: Zayatte

Match rating: 5/10


--------------------------------------------------------------


NOTW:

CHELSEA 0, HULL CITY 0

BRIDGE TOO FAR - Phil Scolari is under increasing pressure at Chelsea

From ROB SHEPHERD

WHEN supporters start taunting the manager with chants of "You don't
know what you are doing", then he is on a slippery slope.

Luis Felipe Scolari most certainly is — even if the snow has cleared
from West London. Chelsea's title hopes have now disappeared from the
landscape, too.

This dire display has surely all but ended their championship
challenge. And, once again this season, Big Phil looked on from the
sidelines seemingly unable to influence the game in the way Stamford
Bridge had become accustomed to under Jose Mourinho.

When Scolari decided in the 63rd minute it should have been Ricardo
Quaresma rather than Salomon Kalou, Michael Ballack or even Nicolas
Anelka to make way for Didier Drogba, a hard core cluster of fans in
the Matthew Harding Stand let rip.

Someone had obviously anticipated another afternoon of angst for
Chelsea and had even brought along a "Scolari Out . . . Zola/ Di
Matteo Chelsea legends" banner.

It may all seem a bit previous and another sign of the almost
impossible impatience of fans who have gorged on success in recent
years.

Do real fans turn on a manager quite so soon in his first season?

Or do the taunts — there was also a brief round of boos all around the
stadium at the final whistle — come from those supporters who glaze
over when you talk about the pre- Abramovich cash-rich era and are
totally ignorant of the days when old Second Division leaders
Chelsea's home meeting with Hull in 1989 attracted just 11,289.

Maybe but it will not be long before the protests really start to
snowball if there is more of this — especially over the next three
games which really will define Chelsea's season.

The FA Cup trip to Watford, a Premier League journey to Aston Villa
then Juventus here in the Champions League. If any of those results go
badly wrong then the pressure from the stands on Scolari will be just
like it was on predecessor Avram Grant.

Too much for the board to withstand, especially as the owner no longer
seems that keen to pump in any more money.

The clamour will grow for Gianfranco Zola and Roberto di Matteo to
take over, even if the more experienced Roberto Mancini is a more
likely appointment. That is if Chelsea could still afford a manager of
his stature . . .

Scolari ducked the post-match Press conference so it was left for
assistant Ray Wilkins to face the music.

He said: "Fans pay their money so they have a right to boo but to say
'You don't know what you are doing' given all what he has achieved as
a manager is a tad out of order."

Given Wilkins' genial demeanour, "a tad out of order" amounts to him
blasting the crowd. But this goalless draw means Chelsea have now
dropped 16 points.

Big Phil still has not come up with a plan when things don't go right.
The time has come to change the system and go with 4-4-2 but Scolari
will not make the switch. Yes, he won the World Cup with Brazil but he
has never managed a club side in Europe — and it is starting to show.

His vendetta against Drogba, starting on the bench again, is
self-defeating. When you are up against it, Anelka cannot operate as a
lone striker and the team cannot afford for Ballack to keep prancing
around.

If Frank Lampard is not pulling out all the stops — he was nowhere
near his best yesterday — then Chelsea become pretty ordinary as an
attacking force and are increasingly suspect at the back.

Even if Hull were on the back foot for a lot of the game, their
striker Craig Fagan had two decent chances to have picked the home
side's pockets.

Blues had plenty of possession in the first half and created a string
of chances but a lack of conviction around the box and some stoic
defending kept them at bay.

After just two minutes, John Terry posted a miss of the season
contender when he scooped over after Hull keeper Matt Duke had beaten
down a deflected Lampard free-kick.

Soon after, Quaresma cut in stylishly enough from the left but his
curled shot to the far post was tame and predictable and Duke pushed
the ball around the far post. After that Quaresma, who flitted from
flank to flank, showed a few decent touches and a poor final ball but
had sufficient charisma to warm the Blues fans.

Hull, who ended a run of six straight defeats with a point against
West Brom last week, were understandably in cautious mode.

But it was not merely a case of parking a bus in front of their
18-yard box. With Geovanni tucked in behind lively lone striker Fagan,
they offered a threat on the break. Just before the interval, Hull's
Kevin Kilbane went close with a header that shaved a post.

As the game wore on, the Tigers looked the likelier to score but Fagan
pulled a shot wide then chipped weakly at Henrique Hilario.

Chelsea made a desperate shout for a penalty late on when a Kalou shot
hit Andy Dawson's arm. But it would have been harsh.

Three weeks ago, Chelsea came from behind to beat Stoke 2-1 in the
final few minutes in a spirited fightback. But the towel was thrown in
far too early yesterday.

The Blues have dropped to fourth and now face a battle to secure
Champions League qualification. Such failure really will be a sacking
offence for Scolari.


----------------------------------------------------------


Observer:


Chelsea held at home by resistant Hull
Chelsea 0
Hull City 0

Jamie Jackson at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea's debutant Ricardo Quaresma battles with Hull City's Dean
Marney during the scrappy goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.
Photograph: Rebecca Naden/PA

In the end, Chelsea were a touch fortunate not to lose. Their problem
is the one which has arrived this season of finding themselves
incapable of alchemising dominance into the scintillating stuff which
leads to swaggering or indeed regulation victory.

They went into the break having had nearly all the half their way. And
they came off at the end having again enjoyed the better 45 minutes,
yet with only a point added to their title challenge.

In fact, to listen to Ray Wilkins in the ensuing press conference it
was easy to gain an impression that the league might have already,
privately at least, been ­conceded. "I think you'll find 4th, 3rd and
2nd will change places a lot," he said, when asked about the fact that
Chelsea now occupy only the final Champions League spot.

The assistant coach went into a swift about-turn when asked if this
was an acknowledgement that they cannot be champions come May. "It's
difficult to catch Manchester United, but we'll be trying – though
they do have a game in hand and points in hand. But we'll give it a
damn good go," he insisted.

Until 4pm this afternoon, when they visit West Ham, United actually
have two matches in hand. These could yield six points to place
sweetly on top of the four they are already ahead of Chelsea. "We have
been a power in the Premier League and so we strive to be number one,"
Wilkins said.

Publicly, of course, that is always a given. But Luiz Felipe Scolari's
decision to allow his assistant to do the explaining placed an extra
layer on the perception that Chelsea are in serious ­disarray. Again,
Wilkins denied there was anything conclusive in a no-show. But whether
it showed strong leadership is one for a bar-room argument.

Clearer was a moment that arrived after 63 minutes. "You don't know
what you're doing," came the sing-song abuse thrown at the manager
when Scolari swapped debutant Ricardo Quaresma – there were flashes of
promise, nothing else – for the one-time ultimate golden boy, Didier
Drogba.

What did Wilkins think of that? "It's never very pleasant. It was a
minority. They pay their money and if they want to boo they can, but
given the manager's record, it was a tad out of order."

Also in disorder are the on-field issues facing Scolari. These would
include an increasingly hesitant John Terry, who let Kevin Kilbane in
after 18 minutes when the winger might have scored; a midfield in
which only Frank ­Lampard is ­producing and which had Scolari yanking
a half-hearted John Obi Mikel off after the break; and that most
troubling of all maladies, an ever-decreasing return of goals.

The head coach, it seems, can no longer rely on his men consistently
to play Nicolas Anelka into the areas where before the year's turn he
was enjoying his own, private free-for-all. Nearly two months have
passed since the Frenchman struck in the Premier League.

Instead, he was starved. And it was the visitors who might have
gobbled the three points. "We could've indeed," their manager, Phil
Brown, said. While Craig Fagan and Dean Marney both came close for
Hull, Salomon Kalou had his own stab at glory 11 minutes from time.
But his shot was straight and had City's fans singing deliriously that
"This is the best trip I've ever been on".

Scolari might now be wondering about what is fast becoming a
depressing sojourn. The boos at the end will echo across the rest of
his weekend.



-------------------------------------------------------------


Express:

SCRAPPING TIGERS PUT THE BITE ON BIG PHIL

By Tony Stenson at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 0 Hull City 0

CHELSEA fans finally turned on manager Felipe Scolari last night.

They chanted 'You don't know what you're doing' after he took off new
signing Ricardo Quaresma and replaced him with Didier Drogba.

They vented their anger on the Brazilian after once again watching
their world class players fail to produce. Enough was enough.

How come, they asked, was there no Plan B after long periods of their
side dictating the game without result?

Why didn't their stars come to the rescue? Why was controversial
striker Didier Drogba not introduced much earlier as again Nicolas
Anelka showed he can only produce when the river flows in his
direction?

The bitter chants from Chelsea supporters will no doubt be heard on
owner Roman Abramovich's floating palace.

He has lost billions in the credit crunch and he doesn't want to lose
face, but his side are going nowhere fast.

Scolari has won a World Cup, but we all have sell-by dates.

Chelsea dominated all the game, yet Hull were unlucky not to win when
former Spurs player Dean Marney went close near the end.

Scolari stalked the touchline and looked a sorrowful soul sending on
A-list players to try to break down a workmanlike side.

Skipper John Terry's pre-match Churchillian speech fell on deaf ears.

He sounded like Winston in the dressing room in his pre-match talk,
telling his failing team-mates: "We need a result, we need a
performance, we need a clean sheet – we need a lot of things today."

Clearly, no one listened.

Chelsea should have had a hatful, restoring pride and showing new boy
Quaresma what they were all about.

Instead, we saw the same old fare with long periods of possession but
little to show for it.

Mikel is not a midfield creator, while Michael Ballack – good at free
kicks but performing only when he wants to – continues to nose-dive.

Frank Lampard can only do so much.

Chelsea are missing a direct, dominant striker. Anelka heads the ball
mostly in his own half.

When they attack and cross, there usually aren't many players in the
opposition's box.

They haven't learnt the Manchester United lesson – release Cristiano
Ronaldo and then thunder forward.

Instead, they have talented stars who simply do not possess the
ability to break down a group of decent journeymen.

Chelsea insiders claim the club has not been the same since
long-serving No 2 Steve Clarke was allowed to leave to join Gianfranco
Zola at West Ham. Hull, meanwhile, were like annoying gnats – buzzing,
stinging and refusing to give up lost causes. They could well have won
it.

You had to admire the Tigers. They arrived knowing they had been the
opposition in the first-ever competitive game at Stamford Bridge way
back in 1905. They lost that encounter 5-1 in front of 6,000
supporters. Crowds change. So do results.

Hull gave hope of a new dawn, a former lower league club ready to
wrestle with the big boys and bite the noses of distinguished
opposition.

They started the season by taking points when they were not expected
to do so, and encouraging headlines were written. Then reality kicked
in. Now they seem to have turned the corner once more.

Quaresma marked his debut with a 20th minute 18-yard curler, then
Lampard's 25th minute shot was deflected after Hull failed to clear
Quaresma's corner.

But it was a tale of what might have been for Chelsea and Scolari.