Everyone has a bad day at the office, argues columnist and former Chelsea player Pat Nevin, but it's how you react to it that counts.


Sunday was a disappointment, and that is an understatement.

From the very first minute Spurs appeared to be 'up for it' that bit more than our lads and it was only in the last half of extra time that the team appeared to realise they were in a Wembley cup final.

Doubtless Avram and the backroom staff will spend a great deal of time studying, considering and thinking about the performance and why it was so very far below what everyone, players included, would have demanded.

They will have a few questions, such as the Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka conundrum. It is of course very early days and it is not to say a 4-3-3 with Anelka out wide will not work, but the first outing together on cup final day didn't really happen, until they were paired together up front two in a 4-4-2.

It was all complicated by the fact that by then Spurs had a lead, they were defending very deep with three centre backs and Joe Cole had come on looking the most likely to create something.

That is where the inquest is likely to start, but in truth precious few of the lads will be pleased with their own performances. Petr Cech in goal had some fine saves and was a good shout for our man of the match with great saves from Zokora and Berbatov in particular but even the big man will think he could have done better for the winning goal, even if Woodgate had absolutely no idea where the ball was when it struck his head.

Other complaints were of a rather idiosyncratic display by the referee and a pitch which looks good on the surface but on closer inspection is very poor, behaving like a skating rink more than a football pitch most of the time. Wembley has to rectify this very soon or it will become a laughing stock.

The referee was particularly odd in his timekeeping but infuriatingly his bookings seemed to take an eternity, just when the team wanted to get a head of steam up. He was booking players for time wasting and then making such a song and dance about writing the names down that any momentum was lost for the attacking side.

I would guess the ball was only in play for about half of the final 15 minutes with all the disruptions, then he blew for full time just as Kalou was about to strike at goal. There is an unwritten law that this just doesn't happen, sadly it is unwritten and thus just something else we can feel vaguely upset about.

These are however side issues, because though it hurts to say it, the better team won on the day and we just have to deal with it, show some dignity and get on with job of chasing the other three trophies on offer.

Maybe there was just a hint of overconfidence on the day but you do not get presented with cups for just turning up. I have to say however that even I was completely convinced that we would win considering the strength of the squad available. Conversely I think there were even a few nerves on show from one or two this time, maybe because they felt the weight of expectation. This can't happen again as there will be far more pressurized occasions over the next few months than this one.

As a player though, you just have to draw a line under it, learn from it, understand everyone has a bad day at the office now and again and hope it doesn't affect the group morale or confidence in yourselves, I am sure it will not.

Maybe the most disappointed man will actually be the manager. After a fantastic run of results since he took over with only two defeats, a trophy in the cabinet would have made life much more comfortable. As Chelsea manager these days you will not be judged by long unbeaten runs or even by the style of play as many have suggested, but on results in the crucial, blue riband fixtures, the ones that are hardest to win.

He knows this, so Sunday's defeat will hurt and he will be thinking about the others to come. Every game is of course important but there will be five or six in particular between now and the end of the season that will decide how this season is remembered.

They will hopefully be semi-finals and finals in the FA Cup and the Champions League as well as a couple of Premier League games against Arsenal and Manchester United. Everyone is a bit down this week and so they should be. This is one that got away that shouldn't have but there is still plenty left to go for and this could still be one of the great seasons in the club's history, but the pressure is on.

Do not forget one thing though; the pressure is on everyone else as well. Arsenal are certainly showing signs of the jitters, dropping points to ten-man Birmingham City and this should give us great hope.

United may not be looking weak, but they are still very much within striking distance, so all is not lost. I can tell you from experience, players need support now more than ever, just after a surprise bad result. Fortunately they can bank on getting it from the true Chelsea fans later in the week at West Ham even if they are a bit downcast today.

Last week's competition was to tell me how many top level senior goals Frank Lampard has scored in his career so far, a very tricky question indeed. The answer is usually considered to be how many professional goals, so England Under 21s do not count, but that sneaky little single strike for Swansea when he was out on loan there does!

So 39 for West Ham, NOT 24 as many people suggested as that was only his league tally and not including cup goals, 101 for Chelsea, 14 For England and 1 for Swansea City equals 155. Many got it right but the luck winner chosen by my glamorous assistant was Pawrush Elavia from Mumbai in India.

To win a copy of the book Chelsea - The Official History in Pictures this week could you tell me how many times Chelsea have actually won the League Cup at Wembley? Answers as ever to pat.nevin@chelseafc.com