just

Lenart Johansenn. And on the follow through, Anders Frisk.

Cech is only 24!

Watcha Dave. E-mail me and I'll give you my mobile number and we'll arrange a meet.

If there's one good thing to come out of the last fortnight, it's that everything that has surrounded these cup games both on and off the pitch, has reminded, (or indeed educated), everyone, young and old, of exactly why we hate Rottenham more than any other team. It has been forever so. And long may it last. PS. Gem you do great work, but for a Chelsea forum there really should be a "We Hate Tottenham" emoticon.

or Robben or Cech Robben ? Tis' the silly season to be sure. Cech ? Hell yes, if he'd played a full season.

Well you cant blame City fans for not singing when they're always losing in the derby. They sang when Denis Law scored. Geezer. That is top quality.

I think utilising Mikel long-term in that deep lying, holding midfield role will be a criminal waste of his talents. Look at Mikel's first touch. Then watch closely his passing. The boy caresses the ball. He threads passes. Add to that his strength and composure on the ball and this is one player who is tailor made to play at the tip of the diamond, or in a free role just behind the strikers. I kid you not, if he continues to develop the way he is going, this lad could be our Platini. Fergie must be gutted. He is looking worth every penny we paid to prise him out of United's grasp.

Elliott, you couldn't post this up in the Carvalho, ho, ho thread could you ? It being a big game, with the pressure on and all I agree with all your match ratings, except Cech. He would have got a 7 from me. PS. Once Essien is available, what is the point of Ballack ?

I'm afraid Loz, you'll never make a manager. SWP starting over Arjen "Cant' Tackle, Won't Tackle" Robben only served to illustrate the utter genius we have in Mr Mourinho. Whenever we lost possesion, SWP effectively marked Lennon for long stretches of the game. SWP's pace, and willingness track back, time and time again slowed Lennon down, (by getting goal side), or forced him to lay the ball off. It worked beautifully. Lennon was not half the threat he was in the previous two games he has played against us. JM knew Robben couldn't and wouldn't have done that tracking job. Jose, we truly are not worthy.

Yes!! Doing us proud. I thought I saw Just as well but from a distance and I am not even sure if he was at the game. No, I wasn't there Loz. Didn't get a ticket. Rang a mate in the crowd after the game when the Lampard incident occured. He's gonna ring me tomorrow morning and give me a full report. Nine of us down the pub went mental when both goals went in. Just listened to 5Live on the way home and I cannot believe the comments of Alan Green. If ever a bloke deserved a fatwa being placed on him, it's that fat, facking waste of skin. His loathing and hatred of Drogba simmers to the surface everytime he has to comment on Chelsea. He should really lose his job over tonight.

Not trying to burst anyone's bubble, but reading the story this morning there was one very worrying element for me. And that is, that although Chelsea initiated these talks prior to the World Cup, no firm, concrete offer has been put on the table. Frank himself said this: Having made the offer to talk last summer, however, Lamps was surprised when the first meeting didn?t take place until just before Christmas. He added: ?I wondered what was going on and since then there have been a couple of meetings with Steve. ?So far, though, Chelsea have actually yet to make a proper offer on a new deal. As I said, I am not worried about the situation but it?s frustrating when everyone else is talking about my future.? This part is very, very reminescent of the Gallas saga. Kenyon and his team talked a good game in public, but Gallas's people said nothing was actually happening behind the scenes, despite them being keen to tie up a deal ASAP. Then, as we all know, after keeping Gallas waiting an offer was made at the 11th hour that didn't match his expectations. I hope PK doesn't repeat the error with Frank.

Poor, poor decision by Toure in that clip. Very similar to Carvalho against Yakubu the other season. For me Carvalho is the better footballer, (more comfortable on the ball, passing etc), but Toure is the better defender. Quicker, more athletic, stronger, positionally more competent. Generally, he does not play anywhere near as far forward as Carvalho does. Needless lunges are also not such a regular part of his game.

Indeed Nibs. But winning a tackle in midfield ! What was he doing there ! Carvy's positional wanderings and "lunge-in" challenges will never cost us against teams as dire as the Blades were on Saturday. Against top quality opposition, with top quality players, that's where it can hurt us.

Article in yesterday's Sunday Express, saying the police are expecting it to go off big time tonight with Rottenham fans planning to ambush Chelsea boys. Also said that riot police have been drafted in. For those going, go in numbers and keep your wits about you on the walk from Seven Sisters.

I thought Sheva, Carvy, Robben and SWP all had very good games. That said, Sheff Utd were probably the worst side I have seen at the Bridge this season. Dire.

He can't, and he won't. I wrote this in another thread. "I can't get away from the fact that, if you watch him closely, Carvalho still makes these sort of rash errors on a fairly regular basis. The fact is, fortunately, we don't always suffer the consequences. This is mostly down to the quality of players he has around him. And in particular to having the world's best keeper behind him. See the Villa home game for two superb examples of this. Yes, all players make some mistakes, but world class defenders, the really top boys, like Maldini, like Gallas, like Nesta, like JT have superior positional awareness, don't commit themselves early and, generally, just read the situations better. Therefore, they don't make these mistakes anywhere near as regularly, and are much more solid, conventional centre-halves. I'll just have to face the harsh truth I'm a bit old fashioned. When I look at the centre of our defence I get a warm feeling of re-assuarance and comfort when I see my centre-half is there. Where he should be. Hopefully, marking an opponent. Not half-way up the pitch standing next to my left winger".

A bloke down the pub called him the dutch Darren Huckerby. People were calling Ronaldo the Portugeese Denilson last season and look what he is doing now. Form and injuries are temporary, talent and class are permanent. Tha fella down the pub wouldn't know who Denilson was! And in Robben's case that last bit is definately arguable. Form and class are temporary, inconsistency and injuries are permanent.

A bloke down the pub called him the dutch Darren Huckerby.

You don't have to go to Russia for those. Stevenage has all you could ever want.

Two of my mates, (and both of them were well capable in their younger days), refuse to go to sh*te Fart Lane exactly because of this reason. The local constabulary don't police it properly. They are 20 years behind the times. The way they filter the away fans out of the ground is facking laughable. Last time I went you had to go out practically single file, up and down one of those zig-zaggy airport type barriers. Once through that the plod move you on right into the welcoming arms of all the yokels watching and waiting on the corner. People were getting smacked left, right and centre last time I was there. I saw one middle-aged fella, (silly prat was wearing a shirt though), get laid into in front of his young lad. Which is something that should also be pointed out. Don't be daft enough to bring your kids.

What about the goal JFH scored for Charlton against us ? Everyone is going to make a mistake at some time. Life is much harder when you are playing with a different partner every game and even more so when that partner is a midfielder or full back playing out of position. I would say that Vidic has been fantastic for Utd this season but I still remember him letting Henry free to score a late winner against them. I still rate him highly though. Carvalho, for me, has been excellent this season. Better than the last two seasons. And don't forget, he played centre half for almost all of that time too. I can't get away from the fact that, if you watch him closely, Carvalho still makes these sort of rash errors on a fairly regular basis. The fact is, fortunately, we don't always suffer the consequences. This is mostly down to the quality of players he has around him. And in particular to having the world's best keeper behind him. See the Villa home game for two superb examples of this. Yes, all players make some mistakes, but world class defenders, the really top boys, like Maldini, like Gallas, like Nesta, like JT have superior positional awareness, don't commit themselves early and, generally, just read the situations better. Therefore, they don't make these mistakes anywhere near as regularly, and are much more solid, conventional centre-halves. I'll just have to face the harsh truth I'm a bit old fashioned. When I look at the centre of our defence I get a warm feeling of re-assuarance and comfort when I see my centre-half is there. Where he should be. Hopefully, marking an opponent. Not half-way up the pitch standing next to my left winger.

What about the goal JFH scored for Charlton against us ?

The whole day had the edginess of Tottenham Chelsea We stayed in the area until early evening, mostly down the Kings Road, the pubs were mobbed and you could tell it was brewing. Sirens going off all over when we left. Some of the others came home later than us, and one phoned me this morning to say it went off at the station on the way back.

Was at the game yesterday and here's my ratings. Cech 7 As Nibs said didn't have much chance with any of the goals and didn't get any real protection from his centre-halves. Paulo 5. Very shaky and rightly subbed. Took the long walk round the pitch. Down the tunnel, across the train track, through Brompton cemetry. His Chelsea career is nearly at an end. A Cole 5. Very poor. Lennon gave him a torrid time Carvalho 4. Badly at fault for two of the goals. In JT's absence he is the senior player and should be organising our back line. For much of the game he wasn't even part of it. Positionally, laughable. Essien 6. Exposed too often, mostly because of Carvalho charging here, there and everywhere. Diarra 4. Maka won't be hanging his boots up just yet. We needed a midfield holding player yesterday. We didn't have one Lamps 7. Would have given him a 3 for the first half, but he turned it around 2nd half. He was everywhere. Ballack 6. Still didn't do it for me. Hit alot of Stevie G balls yesterday, which didn't find their intended target. We need to find a more suitable position for him. JT back in defense. Essien back in midfield. Ballack on the bench. That should do it. Robben 5. Totally and utterly outshone by Lennon. I'd swap him tomorrow. Drogba 7. When he went limping off first half, I thought our season was limping off with him. Where would we be if this bloke got badly injured? Immense 2nd half and he got absolutely no help from Shevchenko. Sheva 4. Awful. Drogba must be any forwards dream to play with because you know he is gonna win 98% of the balls played up to him. All his partner has to do is be savvy enough, (and fast enough), to get on the end of the flick-ons. Sheva just doesn't. Why ? SWP 5. That swap deal with Robben for Lennon. Let's throw in Sweepy as well. Run Forrest, run. Kalou 7. Bright and dangerous when he got on. Wonderfully taken goal. Love to see him start more often. Doesn't just rely on pace, has a trick or two and can kick with both feet. Boula 6. Did alright apart from blasting a pass to SWP with practically his first touch. The police 8. Jesus wasn't there alot of them yesterday? Three helicopters, some in riot gear, dogs, horses. The works. Can't remember having two lines of old bill either side of the away fans in the Shed Upper and lower before can you? Didn't drink in the Peli yesterday, but walked past it an hour after the game and there was three vans full sitting right outside.

Yes he can expect protection from his midfield, but it doesn't mean he has to go and play there himself ! If you watch the first goal, the ball gets funelled in from the right, (and yes Diarra should have done alot better), and Carvalho goes off chasing the ball outside our area like a school boy. Tottenham play the ball around him and Berbatov slips into the gapping hole Carvalho has left behind him. I think the commentary from Hansen on this clip is spot on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE2v3QPe ... ed&search=