ethicalstrategy

starting to look horribly like the arsenal match earlier in the season.

Can I just say that D.S. is not my father. E.S.

Interestingly, it seems that AVB's record to date is just about the same as Carlo's was last season at this point. Yes, I was surprised to read that too.

I'm sorry. Was my last post invisible?

OK folks - time to get back on topic. It's not like there aren't plenty of them in this thread.

How to stop Messi scoring? Sign him for Chelsea!

I hope so.

I always feel that in this situation you may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. Approaching things the way he is now is going to only end one way. If he has a set of beliefs, and I think he does, then he should stick to his guns. If senior players aren't willing to do as they are asked then he should bench them. Bring in some youngsters. Play some of the lesser lights. I think the fans would support him. I'm a huge fan of both Frank and Drogba but if they are wilfully undermining the manager - and I say if, because I have no idea if they are the players that are repeatedly being referred to in mysterious terms by the press - then I would be disappointed in them and would support their being sent to train with the reserves. Any player who isn't happy has the right to look for a move away when the transfer window is open, but in the meantime they have an obligation to give their all for the manager and the team regardless.

Great work Gem. I know we all appreciate the efforts on our behalf. Sounds like your kind heart will be well rewarded, deservedly so!

As I've said, I was in the West lower and I didn't hear either set of fans singing Mourinho's name - so maybe I'm not the best person to comment! However, in response to those claiming that the media were all saying it was the Chelsea fans: henrywinter #cfc 0 #bcfc 1 ht. A few boos from #cfc fans. Definitely Birmingham fans chanting "Jose Mourinho" btw. AVB being outwitted by Hughton 18/02/2012 13:22

Not a chance. No reason for it anyway.

I'm not one to subscribe to this idea that players don't try as a general rule. He was just totally ineffectual. It's true that the whole team was particularly poor in the first half and I wouldn't single him out. However, there is no doubt that Drogba gave us a lift. I wouldn't say he was especially good but he did cause more problems for them and gave us more options. He also showed an urgency that lifted the team and the crowd. As an example, their keeper had been timewasting at goalkicks from the first minute. He was taking an age to get the ball back in play. The ref was completely ignoring this. The first time he ball went out in the second half Drogba chased it and put it on the six yard line for the keeper and then made a big point of complaining about how long he was taking. It sounds silly but that got the crowd going and showed he that really cared about getting back in to the game.

As this has just turned in to a slanging match I've closed it.

I have to say that I can't see any way back for Torres now. Not one goal despite starting every match since Drogba went to the ACN. And now hooked after another listless effort in the first half today.

Well I was there in the west lower and I didn't hear any Mourinho chants. Having said that, it was pretty desperate stuff.

Not to mention that the goal against Liverpool was with his left foot and the one against Barca with his right. (Were you watching Ashley Cole? Obviously not!)

Article about this in the Telegraph. Link

The key for me will be how we play. It seems clear from what we've been reading that player power has led to AVB compromising his principles. I'd like to see him go back to how we were playing at the start of the season. That may mean making some personnel changes but we can't simply keep doing what we have been doing. Consistency of selection hasn't reaped the rewards that I would have expected. Instead we are still giving up silly goals and have lost our attacking impetus. If we end up not having successfully made any sort of transition then this will be a wasted season. I'd start with the following: Cech Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Bertrand Lampard, Romeu, Essien Mata Sturridge, Lukaku I'd want us to play a high tempo pressing game and expect both forwards to run their bollocks off.

It is bollocks

To be fair, we are one of the few clubs that don't actually need the money. Failure to qualify for the CL would be bad, no doubt about it, but it wouldn't be the end of the world PROVIDED we are actually making progress with revamping the playing side of the club.

It's not whether he scored or not, but whether he has lost his bottle to actually take the chance of missing. On that evidence he has.

I think it is documented that he has been unhappy at not getting a run up front. It was pretty clear he was displeased at being taken off yesterday.

Did you really write that? You don't see how ridiculous it sounds?

A very hard match to judge. My overriding sense was that we saw two teams who really aren't very good by their own high standards. There are 5 or 6 players who won't be in a Chelsea shirt next season and who wouldn't have got in to the team over the last 6 or 7 years. Defensively I think we aren't too badly off. It's when you start moving in to the midfield and up front that the problems are starkest. Meireles is no more than average. Malouda looks like a player who wants and needs to get away. There have been spells when he has been terrific for us, but they are always when the team is doing well. At the first sniff of adversity he just disappears. Yesterday he was truly aweful. Essien may or may not ever be the player he was once. The rest of this season will tell us that I think. Up front, Sturridge is a great prospect but I'm seriously worried that he will be undone by his ego. I understand why he wants to play through the middle and no doubt he would be more effective than Torres, but he has just broken in to the team this year and should be happy to get his head down, work hard and wait for his opportunity. Instead, it looks like he is going to kick up about it. Poor. Torres - well when you get to the point where you are too frightened to shoot then I think the shark has been well and truly jumped. The game was there to be won and he bottled it - not by missing or the keeper saving, but by refusing to even shoot. Pathetic Mata was the one shining light. If he had some decent players around him he would be even better. Did you see the bench yesterday? A couple of oldies and some youngsters. No-one the manager really wanted to play. That's a big problem.

Football studies?