Chelseafc.com continues a look back over another eventful year at the club with the words reported at the time. August turns to September.

Ahead of the fourth match of the season, the transfer window was pushed closed and just minutes before it shut, Chelsea target Robinho was snapped up by Manchester City.

The Brazilian dribbler had looked likely to join up with compatriot Scolari until Abu Dhabi money arrived at Eastlands the morning of deadline day. Suddenly Robinho was well within their price range and City were determined to make a splash..

Just days before the takeover, they had already shopped at Chelsea to repurchase Shaun Wright-Phillips after three seasons in London during which he had become a champion but only occasionally held down a regular slot.

However before any of the altered squads up and down the country could be put to work, there was a two-week international break during which Michael Essien ruptured a cruciate playing in Africa. The 25-year-old was facing the first major lay-off of his career. The injuries that had plagued the previous two seasons were clouding the outlook once again.

Better news was Didier Drogba completing his first competitive action of the season in a 3-2 reserve win against Arsenal.

After four months of recuperation on a knee problem, it was an understandably steady rather than spectacular start to his 2008/09 campaign - but there was a sure sign of the real Drogba in creating Chelsea's first-half equaliser, providing a platform for his younger colleagues to accelerate away for an admirable win.

Back at Premier League level, chance proved adept at putting on a headline show in handing Robinho his Man City debut at home to Chelsea.

Prior to kick-off in our game, Liverpool enjoyed a rare home win over Man United, marking them down as our early challengers at the top.

Further east along the M62 where Chelsea were in the north-west for the second time in the season, all the buzz pre-match of course surrounded the diminutive Brazilian, with SWP's first game against the Blues a mere sideshow.

Despite a midweek international appearance in Brazil, Robinho started for Mark Hughes' side and took just 13 minutes to open his account in England as his free-kick deflected off Mikel and past Cech.

Chelsea, playing the same 4-1-4-1 formation that had begun the season, responded immediately as Carvalho stabbed home from a corner.

Taking control of the game, Anelka, Malouda and Ashley Cole all went close before Lampard netted a superb left-footed strike to dampen the Eastlands party spirit.

It was, as this website reported, 'a classic Lampard strike, smashing the ball in low from an angle after he had worked his own space with a driving run and exchange of passes with Malouda.'

Anelka slotted home a third against his former club before the afternoon's one black mark for the Blues, John Terry dismissed by referee Mark Halsey after tugging Jo down in the centre-circle.

It would later be rescinded and the captain would escape a ban. More good news was Drogba's 20-minute cameo as he stepped up his return still further.

'After we scored my team controlled the game, not all the time but most of the time,' said Scolari.

'We were many times in front of goal and we added another two goals. We had some injuries and I made changes but the players came into the team and played very well and this is what made me happy more than winning 3-1.'

His counterpart and former Chelsea man Hughes accepted it had been a fair result.

'Good teams usually pick the right pass at the right time and as soon as you go behind against Chelsea, it is very difficult, even if they go down to 10 men,' Hughes said, admitting some of his new players had been exposed to what the Premier League is all about.

'Chelsea were excellent in the second half, in waiting for you, setting traps for you and they have the key personnel who can exploit it.

'It was a fair result and it wasn't a reality check for us, we know where we are in our development.'

Man City 1- 3 Chelsea at City of Manchester Stadium on 13-09-2008
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry (c); A Cole; Mikel; J Cole (Belletti 70), Deco, Lampard, Malouda (Drogba 70); Anelka (Alex 78).
Scorers Carvalho 16, Lampard 53, Anelka 70
Booked Mikel 44
Sent-off Terry 73
Man City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne (c), Ball (Sturridge 84); Hamman (Fernandes 6), Kompany; Wright-Phillips, Robinho, Ireland; Jo.
Scorer Robinho 13

The transfer deadline now well passed, there would still be significant comings and goings at Stamford Bridge in September.

Steve Clarke, for so long a vital part of José Mourinho and then Avram Grant's coaching staff, decided it was time for him to move on, linking up with the newly appointed Gianfranco Zola across the capital at West Ham.

It would be three months before Franco and Clarkey brought their troops to the Bridge, but all at the club were already looking forward to it, and wished the Scot well after some 20 years of Chelsea service.

Another Chelsea legend would replace him in due course, as the popular and effervescent Ray Wilkins stepped in, but before the 52-year-old's arrival, we returned to Champions League duties.

Four months after penalty shootout heartache in Moscow, we bounced back with a straightforward demolition of Bordeaux who looked well short of the eventual French champions they would become.

'Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka were on target in as comfortable a win as you could hope to see in this competition, even if the foot came off the gas after the break,' we said.

'Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc may have been one of the world's great defenders but his side today were not made in his image as the Chelsea woodwork count almost matched the goal tally. In the first half especially, chances flowed like water.'

The manager had not been entirely contented. 'It is important to start with three points,' began Scolari, 'but we did not play very well.

'We made many mistakes when we had the ball. When you play in Champions League and you are winning 2-0 at half-time, you need to work more and more.

'Today we did not control much of the second-half. We played many times the wrong ball in the middle and maybe other teams arriving in front of our goal more quickly and with more quality than Bordeaux would be dangerous for us.'

Chelsea 4- 0 Bordeaux at Stamford Bridge on 16-09-2008
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry (c); A Cole; Mikel; J Cole (Belletti 73), Deco (Ballack 60), Lampard, Malouda (Kalou 83); Anelka.
Scorers Lampard 13, J Cole 30, Malouda 81, Anelka 90+1.
Booked Deco 57
Bordeaux (4-1-4-1): Ramé (c); Jurietti, Planus, Diawara, Placente; Diarra; Wendel, Gourcuff (Obertan 65), Gouffran, Fernando (Ducasse 74); Chamakh (Cavenaghi 65).

To be continued…

Click here for Part One.