yorkleyblue

In 10 times, there have only been two occasions when the team leading at Christmas didn't go on to win the league. Both of those times that team was the dippers. Be confident people. Only 3 weeks ago we had loads of people in here staining their Sta-Prest about City, how they were unstoppable, how they were going to go a whole season without dropping a point, how they were the best team in the world, EVER. Then they played us. Again, be confident, people. We all know the Spuds will bottle it in the spring, that's just what they do. The dippers will start to drop points, they have had a really good run of luck so far this season. City will pick up again a bit, but other teams have seen that they can be beaten now, and how. It's all to play for. Finally, be confident.

So we can only assess Ruben if he has a decent game, is that what you mean? And Willian being on the pitch for 60 minutes and us being " in total control of the ball and the game" could well be related, don't you think?

I see that the special schools have broken up for the Christmas break then.

I don't really think the "when we were chasing the game" point works. He HAD played well in the previous matches, I agree, and I thought initially that he should have started, but when you can say that we were worse off when he came on and that he was actually worse than Willian in the Leicester match, then putting in his best efforts when chasing the game is the very least you should expect. Instead, he was tripping over his own feet, running into his own players, constantly losing the ball and generally being ineffective. As above, floppy and half-hearted describes his (and a lot of the team's) performance. Maybe it's attitude, maybe it's fitness, maybe it's I don't know what, but Saturday was not his finest hour. Despite how much some of us want it, perhaps Ruben isn't starting matches regularly because the manager and training staff see something of that in him. Honestly, to me, it looks like when he fancies it, he is a very good player, and when he doesn't fancy it, he just cant; be arsed. In my opinion, If he was to fancy it every minute he gets on the pitch, he would get more minutes on the pitch. If my back was against the wall, I'd rather have a Willian or Kovacic than Ruben not being arsed. If I KNEW that Ruben would turn up and play as we all know he could, I'd take him over any of those in an instant. Just a bad game on Saturday, no excuses, and he was far from the only one. Worst for me in the second half was Hazard. Also half-hearted and seemingly couldn't be arsed.

See I'm not so sure. Admittedly, he doesn't appear to faint at the sight of a football, but then he does manage to fall over a lot when trying that "running" thing, all on his ownsome, with not another player within 15 yards. A bit like (no, a lot like) those videos of new-born giraffes that people find so appealing as light entertainment, but not so much as your main striker.

Yeah, fair point, well made. I didn't spot that. Doesn't change the fact that he was pants on Saturday, in a game when we really needed him to step up (as well as all the others, to be fair)

But can either of you explain exactly what Ruben did against leicester? |To my mind he was worse than Willian, and the poster above summed it up perfectly "running around like a big half-hearted floppy rag doll. No commitment to making tackles. " I like Ruben a lot, but he was a feckless waste of trousers on Saturday.

Some people Sell 11 first team and main backup players? Including both left backs, our only back-up right back and 4 out of 5 attacking players. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. I've never looked at it, is that really how Fantasy Football works?

We've already got a striker who falls over a lot and loses the ball a lot.

So a typical melt-down in here. A lot of you people need to mellow down instead. Some days it just ain't gonna be your day. I knew that when a ball going out for a corner hit the flag pole and bounced back off Alonso for a goal kick. Willy-whiners, tell me how he was worse than Hazard or Pedro today. Ruben was worse when he came on. Just accept it lads, sh*t happens. Still, we can blame Willian and Luiz and Alonso for the Leicester goal, can't we? Oh, wait a minute. No, I dont think we can.

Popped in at half time. Just as I expected. One minute and 17 seconds into the match before some w**ker posted his first cut-and-paste criticism of Willian. Then the whole half is just full of Willy-whingeing. Typical.

This is another one of these subjects where a lot of people take a stand based on a binary, black or white position. Mourinho is either god/allah/the green man (select deity of your choice) or satan. And then people go getting themselves entrenched and argumentative from that position. In my view, for what very little it is worth, Jose was a god in his first time with us, the best manager in the world, and will always be respected and will always have my gratitude for that. Then he left and became, eventually, what he is today, apparently a sour and suspicious bitter man OR an extremely clever manipulator, but, in either case, no longer relevant to me or Chelsea. He was great, now he ain't. Doesn't tarnish what he did with us first time, and he deserves my respect and thanks for that. Since then he has done nothing to warrant anything but antipathy, and the normal wish for failure that I have for any rival manager. Anyone who just expresses nothing BUT contempt for the man needs to have a word with themselves, ungrateful f**ks.

But you can ONLY judge players who might be potential purchases by how they play with other formations and players. A single example of someone who turned in a great season after a move doesn't really make a full case. For every David Johnson, I give you a Kezman, a Torres, a Shevchenko, a Sutton, a Veron, blah, blah, blah. And that's JUST our purchases, in the last few years. Wilson was pants on Wednesday, was pants in every other match against Bournemouth that I have watched and appears to actually be a downgrade on Morata, if that is actually possible. (At least there is normally a defender within 10 yards of Morata when he falls over)

The Christmas Jukebox

you mean the left right, right?

Do you mean Kovacic or Ruben

Some tit on telly said the same the day before we played

Is that the donkey Callum Wilson who played last night? Were some people SERIOUSLY suggesting we should be thinking about buying him?

Yeah, that's what I meant. Two views of one thing. You were happy, I thought it was not great. I posted above - what I've seen of the lad has always been around the 4-5/10 level

Just what you have to love about football. Two people watch exactly the same match and have two different opinions about a particular player.

I never watched him in Italy, so can't say about that, but for us I really haven't seen him to anything to show he is an upgrade or even an equivalent to Alonso, who, yes, is struggling a bit to adapt at the moment, as is a lot of the team.

You think. The evidence isn't really there at the moment, though.

Fair enough. Didn't think he did all that well last night, to be hones, but why don't we phone Sarri and get him to pick 4 or 5 matches where the result doesn't really matter and give him a go.

oops!

We've already got one of those.