The Fiver | A man complaining about his diamond shoes being too tight?

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In 16 matches against Chelsea in all competitions, teams managed by Alan Pardew have won a respectable five times. Bottom of the table and seven points from what passes for the “safety” currently being enjoyed by Huddersfield, West Brom could certainly do with their manager increasing that record by one on Monday night, when his team visits Stamford Bridge. While Chelsea might normally be expected to swat the Baggies aside with a minimum of fuss, these are strange times for the Premier League champions. In their past two matches they have not just been beaten, but torn apart by Bournemouth and Watford under the stewardship of a weary Italian who could scarcely make his wish to get fired more clear if he spent 90 minutes standing motionless in his technical area, holding a placard bearing the slogan “ROMAN ABRAMOVICH SMELLS OF BOILED CABBAGES”.

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