mad_mac

I don't think Malouda has been given enough of a chance to say that we should sell him after the amount we shelled out for him. Sidwell should at least be given a season with us, but I think he will go to a mid table club in the summer, where he can play 1st team footy I think Pizarro isn't quite at our level, and neither is TBH. However, I think TBH will gradually phase out as Carvs and terry come back. We still need a little back up in the CB area due to our luck in the injury and suspension front. however, I would like to see mancienne given that 4th spot. So, for me.... bring in Van der Vaart, ASAP. I think he might be the creative midfielder that we COULD land. I don't think Riquelme is a player that would come to us, but VDV may! Let Lamps go in the summer, and say a huge thanks for all he has done. let sidwell go in the summer too, on to a team like Brum. Let Pizarro go too. Let Sheva have ONE amazing season for us! Get Drogs a couple years on to his contract, ASAP! Also, sing Huntelaar in the january window, and NOT Anelka!

the masses will see us as two things.....a bunch of skinheads....a billionaire's play thing!

last team to win the FA cup at the old wemberley, and the 1st team to win it at the new one! I really like that one, brings a smile to the face everytime!!!!

I said about our CB situation "what other team would be as comfortable with their 3rd and 4th string CB's as we are with TBH and Alex?" I think the same sentiment could be added to our situation with Hilario as our #rd string keeper.

Personally, I don't see sinclair and Santos competing with each other. Isee Sinclair competing with Sweepy, Cole, and a fit malouda. Santos will compete against Pizzaman and Kalou (this is merely an opinion based on knowing absolutely very little about santos!

I think I heard Grant say in the interview after the Newcastle game that "Cech was not 100% and in the last game he got worse" Or words to that effect

I have seen more obvious offsides. Kalou was riding pretty close to the line when Mikel's shot came off initially. This makes up for the goal against Blackburn that we had chopped off up at Ewood for supposedly being offside...infact, wasn't that a kalou one?

I went for bridge. Thought he played really well both defensively and attacking. his link up play with Joey was great....and a bit with Kalou. It certainly gave us great attacking options down the left. SWP's misses were glaring, but his general match performance was worthy of a nod. Ballack looked great for 60 minutes, but he will get better the more games he plays

my take on it all: Sinclair should be given a starting run ahead of Sweepy. I know this may not be fair to swp, but again he did a lot, but didn't produce much. He made some good runs (SWP) and some decent crosses, also, he played a couple of great little cut backs...however, he got himself in decent scoring positions and messed up. He did misss one SITTER in the last minutes of the 1st half. I think Sinclair should be given a shot Joe Cole and Wayne Bridge really link up well down the left hand side. Mikel and Essien both workde hard, but switched off in the 2nd half, especially Mikel for their goal. I think they might have one eye already on the ACN, which is a shame Kalou, when given the space, makes some great runs and looks comfortable on the ball, but his striking is way off what it should be. TBH gives too much space, and his passing is well below par. However, in his defence, he is our 4th string CB!!! I do't know too many top teams who would offer much else. He and Alex, I feel, did well and contrary to what the moos thinks we had no other alternatives. Ballack looks great, and his passing is amazin...he just needs a run of games. His substitution did not need to be booed! And if Cole was slightly injured, then his substitution was warranted. I would have subbed Sinclair on for him though. Pizarro is journeyman level at best, and whoever compares him to Crespo hasn't seen much of Crespo play! Also, look at it this way. This is the team we could have fielded today from injured/suspended players only ...................cech Paulo....Carvs........terry....cole ................maka .....???...................Lamps ...............Malouda ...........Sheva........Drogs there are a lot of clubs out there who would take that as their first side. Therefore, I am happy with the points. As Stevie Me said after their dubious penalty "these things have a way of cancelling each other out over the course of the season" I feel this helped us out after the wrongful pen and suspension of Cole last game Scott

Sad Sad news. RIP

should have been 2-0 before the half if Sweepy knew how to header! Someone needs to tell that lad where the goal is. He gets into good positions, but doesn't have the finishing. Cole has played well so far this half, and some of the link up play between him and Kalou has been tasty. Hope we keep this up Scott

I said this when he was appointed, and there has been NOTHING that he has done to prove me wrong. Roy Keane is not a good football manager, but I think Sunderland are too scared to let him go. Imagine holding his record in any other team, for any other manager...they would be linked every week with being sacked or replaced! I wonder if, should they (Sunderland) be relegeated, would they still blindly stand by Keane?

are they the same type of player though Loz? I thought Santos was a striker, and sinclair was more of a winger?

Hey star any winger coming this transfer window? Royston Drenthe is getting mentioned quite strongly mnow especially as his Real Madrid adventure has turned into a nightmare. I think we could lure Roysston away with a reasonable offer. I thought that we were one of the teams looking into him in the summer, but he decided to go to real instead. A sneaky wee bid, and we just might get him...being Dutch too I think Top Cat will have an idea about him. Any further information on the Van Der Vaart deal?

I fear we will see Cech in goal agai so I plummed for cech beletti..tbh..alex...bridge ............mikel ..essien...........ballack ....joey................kalou .............sheva back to a 1-0 and taken quite nicely, thank you

Chelsea total..9 points. Liverpool total...13 points Man utd total....14 points I thank you

Seemingly the call did come from the lino and not the ref himself!

Couple of points to take from this game (really trying to find positives)... Firstly, the Riccy and Cole banning couldn't come at a better time for us (barring an injury to Alex orHaim) due to the upcoming set of fixtures. Secondly, With lamps out for a while, and the ACN coming up, I think it is time we started playing the likes of Sinclair, and even giving Mancienne a shot too. Would be nice to try a couple of the youngers. But, I have a feeling we will just buy coverage in the Jan Tran window Scott

Didn't see the game today, but as soon as I heard the result, my immediate thought was..."I would much have prefered a boring 1-0 victory." Those dropped points might have just cost us any outside chance this season. In fact, one of the Carling or FA cup might be all we are realistically in with a chance of this season Scott

Cech in goal!!! Or even Carlo ( if he is injured again)

I never said that Lamps was garbage, just not good enough for MOTM

fantastic, more key injuries in the winter months...sounds horribly remnicent. I knwo we are an outside chance at the title, but the winter period is critical if we want to stay in touch. I only hope that Cech and terry are back for the start of the CL games as I see us with a great chance of getting far in that this year Scott

Sorry, missed that. I did think it was strange that you were slagging the bloke who is your avatar!

sorry, but I can't agree with that at all. You talk about none of us really watching sidwell, and we only know of him in the limited games he has played for Chelsea; then, you come up with a degrading comment about Essien and Mikel based on one poor game? Who says Sidwell wouldhvae been any better out there today? I bet if he had played today, and put in a poor performance there would be people saying "not good enough," and you would still defend him. But you say that Mikel and Essien are poor after one performance and expect us to go with that? Scott

I truly hope that you are right Star. I wasn't the biggest fan of Drogba when we first got him, but I have warmed to him over the past season and a bit! My main concern isn't in Anelka the player, as we all know he can score...and yes I did see his goals (but we could say "it was against the Brum"), it is whether or not we will accomodate him in the team? If Drogba leaves in the summer (your mention of Frank, does that mean he will be staying, or are you merely talking about this season?) then I think we will bring someone else in...Probably Huntelaar...as our main striker. Either way, whether this season or next, Anelka will always be our second choice striker. I just wonder about his temprament if that were to be the case. At Bolton right now, he is the cream of the crop. But down at SW6 I wonder just how easily he will handle the not playing every game? SCott