MARK Lawn reckons he might have spotted one flaw in Chelsea: “They don’t come from Yorkshire!”
Even the most optimistic of the 6,000 City fans bound for Stamford Bridge will find it tough to put a case for an FA Cup fourth-round upset this afternoon.
And apart from the absence of any Tykes in the team, joint-chairman Lawn is struggling to find a weak spot in Jose Mourinho’s resources.
Lawn laughed: “Any chance you get to play against Chelsea is special but just look at the squad they’ve put together now.
You’re talking Champions’ League winners. If you were thinking about who’s going to stop them, it would probably only be Barcelona, Real Madrid and possibly Bayern Munich.
“They are the best team in England by a country mile. But they still don’t come from Yorkshire!”
Lawn hopes City can tap into Mourinho’s expertise to strengthen their chances for the rest of the season.
The Chelsea chief is well known for his in-depth research into opponents and presented Scunthorpe with a comprehensive dossier on their players after their FA Cup tie in 2005.
Lawn is hoping Phil Parkinson’s team can also take home a “free” consultancy report.
He said: “I think we’d learn a lot by seeing what they took a look at. We can only improve from that constructive observation and I’m sure Phil will agree.
“It’s what you do in business. You get consultants in to identify your weaknesses and where you can improve.
“If the best manager in the world is studying you, you’ve got to look at that and take it on board. And it’s costing us nothing – in fact, we’re getting paid for it.
“Mourinho is an all-round manager for me. I don’t think there’s a chink in his armour.
“He gets it tactically right every week and he certainly does it perfectly in the media. He is better at mind games than Sir Alex Ferguson.
“He’s very clever like that and every word is spot on. Dare I say, referees think twice about what decisions they give against him.”
Mourinho is expected to shuffle his pack with the second leg of their delicately-poised Capital One Cup semi-final against Liverpool coming up on Tuesday. But he is still chasing trophies on four fronts and City cannot anticipate any easing off from the home side.
Lawn added: “The fact they won 5-0 at Swansea last week shows the sort of task we’ve got on the pitch.
“Hopefully they won’t be playing that side. But Mourinho has stated that he wants to win (the FA Cup).
“It’s going to be a serious team whoever he puts out. Let’s face it, Chelsea’s reserve team would do well in the Premier League.
“Our players will want to rub shoulders with the best around. They will want to give everything they can for the club and put themselves to the test.
“We’re a long shot with the bookies and I still think the odds are very, very low.
“But I hope the fans are going to go with the same mindset they did when we played Swansea at Wembley. Just enjoy the weekend and enjoy the atmosphere at a great ground.
“The last time I went to Stamford Bridge it wasn’t anything like it is now. To go there like this will be a real treat.
“It’s a great day for the city of Bradford. Once again the football club are flying the flag.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel