Chelsea Youth Academy Part 1: Josh McEachran

This is part one in a series of articles on the successes and failings of Chelsea Youth Academy. The series will analyse players and eventually be concluded in an in depth look at what is happening in Chelsea Youth Academy at the minute.

Josh McEachran Is an 18 year old football player contracted to Chelsea Football Club. In my opinion he is Chelsea’s best youth player and has recently cemented his place as a back-up player for the first team. When speaking to a Chelsea fan about Josh he was unsure as to why he had not been sent on loan this season, yet to Andre Villas-Boas keeping him at Chelsea is paramount to his plans for Premier Division Glory. The Former Porto managed has praised McEachran on several occasions stating his belief that the youngster has ‘So much talent.’

McEachran looks set to flourish at Chelsea. He has already featured in 19 first team games, starting in five of them. He has not yet scored for them but has got two goals for England’s youth teams. He was originally scouted by Chelsea playing for his local side, Garden City F.C. in the Oxford Mail Boys League. As well as adding to his capa, Both for Chelsea and England, He has plenty of silverware. The 18 year old has already won Chelsea’s Young Player of the Year 2011 and Oxford Sportsman of the Year.

Under former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink he was played as a defensive midfielder but more recently he has filled a more attacking roll. This has led many to believe he is the long term replacement for Chelsea Legend Frank Lampard. They have had a very similar experience internationally, both playing for England’s youth teams, McEachran gaining 27 appearances and Lampard gaining 16.Lampard however is 33 and many are calling for his international retirement to make way for younger players such as McEachran.  The Chelsea number 8’s appearances for Chelsea are starting to look tiresome and he may be starting to lose those qualities which have cemented him in Chelsea’s history books.

It would be highly optimistic to claim McEachran will score anywhere near the amount of goals Lampard has in his glittering career but he does have many of the qualities required to equal his influence from midfield. What impresses me most about the Chelsea Youngster is his close control of the ball which is very reminiscent of Zidane’s. The Frenchman has always been listed amongst McEachran’s heroes but it is his similarity to Zidane that really matters when it comes down to 90 minutes.

McEachran is ready to come out of his shell this season under the Villas-Boas regime. Lampard may be on his way out and Chelsea need a new star player and they do not need to look further than the Chelsea number 20. Chelsea fans keep your eyes open and prepare for Josh McEachran Coming to a pitch near you!

Media Law Blog - Contempt of Court Act

The Contempt of Court Act is essential to modern legal case conduct. It aims to prevent public and media influence over the outcome of a case. This validity of this act was thrown into confusion this past December due to the coverage of the press on the Joanna Yeates case. Joanna Yeates was reported missing on the 19^th December 2010. Somerset and Avon Police immediately began a search for her, an operation which used 80 detectives and civil servants. On the 25^th December Joanna Yeates’ body was found and the investigation into her death began. After the Post-Mortem confirmed she was killed by ‘strangulation’ police began compiling a list of suspects. On the 30^th December  2010 Christopher Jefferies was taken into police custody for questioning and released on bail on the 31^st December. The Media immediately turned there coverage to focus on Christopher Jefferies and became the centre of a controversial media campaign. The media started to paint a less than favourable picture of Mr Jefferies, making him out to be a very strange man with a love for niche films and unruly white hair. Rhys Mardon, one of Christopher’s representatives stated ‘His name has been blackened, and his privacy invaded.’ Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General for England and Wales stated he was planning to take action under The Contempt of Court Act so the media would stop there tirade against the 65 year old landlord. The police however were wary of punishing the media as there main appeal for evidence had been through the same media streams they sought to restrict. The media’s coverage made it hard for the police to clear Jefferies name and so Jefferies laid low for weeks. During this time the police managed to find a breakthrough due to new evidence being presented. On the 20^th January, 32 year old Vincent Tabak was arreseted and on the 22^nd January he was charged with the murder of Joanna Yeates. The main controversy over media coverage was how quickly the media attacked Christopher Jefferies even though he had not been charged. This clearly affected the case as it swayed public opinion and police action. The Contempt of Court Act has always been about limiting public and media influence over a case, especially concerning trials and the Jury. Dominic Grieve clearly predicted this media uprising and yet seemed to have limited power to prevent this. Kelvin MacKenzie stated “If it (The Contempt of Court Act) wasn’t inconsequential before, the online world makes it ridiculous now.” His comments follow his record fine he was issued in 1994 for publishing a photo and collapsing a murder case. This has questioned the power of the Contempt of Court Act with many media sources pushing there publications to the limits of the law. Many have started to view the media’s attitude as ‘act now, think later,’ with company lawyers left to clean up behind.  The Joanna Yeates case could therefore be revolutionary to the future of the media and The Contempt of Court Act.