DAVID SPEEDIE was loved by both Chelsea and Blackburn fans alike. As Sunday's FA Cup semi-final between the two sides approaches, ANDY NEILD asks what side of the fence he'll be sitting on ....

Blackburn will start Sunday's game as massive underdogs, but do you think they have a realistic chance of pulling off an upset?

It's a semi-final and anything can happen in the FA Cup, as we all know. Mark Hughes has done a great job at Blackburn and he's got the players working hard for each other. Chelsea, on the other hand, are flying at the minute and just when you think they are down and out, they keep bouncing back. So it's a tough one to call, but as I've said, anything can happen in a one-off game.

Where will the game be won and lost?

Midfield. Whoever dominates the midfield should win the game. Both defences are quite solid so I think someone like Frank Lampard could have a massive influence. If Blackburn can stop him, and the rest of the Chelsea midfield, then they've got a great chance, but that's easier said than done.

What have you made of Blackburn so far this season?

I haven't seen a massive amount of them - I think I've only been to one Blackburn game this season - but from what I have seen on TV, it's evident the passion is there and the players are pulling their weight for the manager. People are playing for places and they know that if they don't perform week in, week out then they are not going to keep their place in the team, which is what it should be about.

Has any Blackburn player in particular stood out for you?

Morten Gamst Pedersen is obviously a quality player but no one player has been head and shoulders above anyone else. I just think they have pulled together and worked hard as a team, which is what most managers would pride themselves on - everyone working for each other, but, most of all, the manager!

What do you make of the job Mark Hughes has done during his time at Ewood, and are you surprised to see him being linked with big jobs' elsewhere?

No I'm not surprised at all. But, for me, Blackburn is a big club anyway. They are in the Premiership and they're not struggling. If you mean can I see him managing a Chelsea or Manchester United one day?' then I'd say yes - there's no reason why he can't do the same job there as he has done at Blackburn. But hopefully for Blackburn fans that's a few years down the line yet.

Chelsea's win over Valencia keeps their dream of a quadruple alive. But do you think that is really possible?

Of course it is. They showed that on Tuesday night after coming back from being a goal down. I've played in that stadium when Scotland played Spain and it's unbelievable. It's so intimidating. So for them to go over there and play the way they did in the second half was a great achievement.

What is it that makes Chelsea so difficult to beat? Is it just the fact they have quality players, or is there more to it than that?

When I was at Chelsea, we worked our socks off for the manager, who was a guy called John Neal. Mourinho now has that with this group, and Mark Hughes also has that at Blackburn. They demand one hundred per cent from people and if they don't get it, then the players don't get the shirt. I think too many players get away with not pulling their weight in certain teams, and that's the difference.

You've already mentioned Frank Lampard as a key player in the Chelsea team. Why do you think he's more effective for his club than he is for his country?

Maybe it's the system; maybe it's the role he's given. I don't honestly know because I don't know what goes on in the England camp. But he just seems to have more freedom with Chelsea than he does with England. I never once played for Scotland the way I did for my club because I was always given a different role.

Jose Mourinho likes to describe himself as the Special One' but is he really that special? Or has he just got more money to spend than the rest of his rivals?

He does seem to have the golden touch. Everything he does usually turns out to be right. He's not perfect - nobody is. But he's been a breath of fresh of air for the Premiership, and for British football in general, because he says it how he sees it, he pulls no punches, and he's honest. He hasn't won the same amount of things that Sir Alex Ferguson has as yet but, for me, he's honest and that's what players admire.

So he's the kind of manager you would have liked to play for?

Yes. Definitely.

As a former Chelsea player are you surprised by all this talk of Mourinho leaving in the summer, and do you think there is anything in it?

If he leaves I'll be absolutely amazed and disgusted that it's been allowed to happen.

But one person doesn't make a football club - we all know that. As a player, when your sell-by date is up you're out of the door. I understood that firmly at Leicester City when I bust my knee. So you're only as good as your last game, and Mourinho will be hoping that's the Champions League final this season.

When you were at Blackburn, Jack Walker did for Rovers what Roman Abramovich has done for Chelsea. Did you detect that people were envious of Blackburn in the same way that they are of Chelsea now?

I didn't sense it because all the big clubs had money anyway. To be fair, Jack was sensible with his money. He didn't spend the money stupidly at Blackburn - it was spent very wisely in my opinion. He built his dream, which was the stadium, and got the club into the Premiership. Yes, they got relegated once, but they've been a virtual ever present apart from that, which is a great achievement for a club of Rovers' size.

The last time Rovers and Chelsea met in the FA Cup, you were part of a Chelsea team that lost 1-0 at Ewood in a third round tie in 1984. What do you remember about that?

Not a lot. I think I pulled my hamstring and was out for about six weeks after that.

Also part of the Chelsea team that day was Eddie Niedzwiecki, who is now a vital member of Mark Hughes' coaching staff at Blackburn. Are you surprised by how well he has done?

Not at all. Eddie's a great coach and everyone you speak to in the game has a high regard for his coaching methods and the way he does things. He's got a great future on that side of the game, maybe not so much as a manager because I don't think he's a strong enough character to become a manager in his own right, but as a coach he's different class.

The prize for the winners on Sunday is a trip to the new Wembley. What was it like to play at the old place? And what do you remember of that play-off final victory in 1992, when you won' the penalty that settled the game in Rovers' favour?

I thought it was obstruction! But I don't care anymore. We got promotion and that's all that mattered. That was a great day, and it was always amazing to play at Wembley.

Who did you most enjoy playing for in your career? Chelsea or Blackburn?

I was at Chelsea for five years, but I had probably my most enjoyable season ever at Blackburn. The club were fantastic with me and the supporters were even better. I never wanted to leave, and Blackburn didn't want me to go either, but that was the only way Southampton would agree to sell Alan Shearer.

So, to put you on the spot, what do you predict for Sunday? Which one of your old clubs will triumph on the day?

It's difficult to call. I've got a foot in both camps so I don't really care who wins. I love Chelsea, and I love Blackburn. My head says Chelsea, but my heart probably says Blackburn because I'd love to see them win something this season. Chelsea have already won one cup and they're still going well in the Premiership and the Champions League. So, on that basis, I'll maybe edge towards Blackburn.