Nibs

Love Carlo, but he's probably happy with the Brazil gig and will be 70 in a few years time, so he wouldn't be for me. Think Glasner would be the perfect fit. He's a good age, has Palace playing good football, winning trophies and over achieving. I'm sure he would love the switch to a (much) better part of London and he could bring Henderson, Guehi, Wharton and Mateta too and part fund by off-loading Fernandez to Madrid. All wishful thinking, but I can dream.........................

Can see a scrappy 0-1 with KDH assisting Grealish for a late winner.

KDH, just like Gallagher before him was a great squad player. Never likely to be MOTM, but fairly dependable, full of energy with the odd goal or assist. Would so rather still have one of them than Enzo, who cost an absolute fortune, is first name on the team-sheet every week and never gets subbed off, despite being bang average.

So many gripes with the dull football and Maresca's team selections. Hopefully he has learned what a bad idea it is to play Tosin and Badiashille. But his insistence on keep playing Enzo and Gusto and tending to leave them on for 90 minutes is just mind boggling. No wonder we are struggling to create much with these two getting so many minutes. So bored of it all.

Just seen the clip of interview on Twitter / X, where Mareca says one of his regrets from Leeds game in not playing Acheampong. FFS, we all regretted it as soon as we saw the starting line-up.

Happy Birthday - and pace yourself (although not suggesting you go as slow as our monotonous build up from the back!)

Estevao should have definitely played more minutes up to now, but we saw against Leeds why he isn't ready to start every game. Leeds hardly let him have a kick and his frustration got him a yellow card and if he'd stayed on, that would probably have become a red.

By "managing his minutes" do you actually mean, stick him on the bench?!!

How many matches into December before this topic becomes red hot again?

Yep, felt sorry for Estevao last night. I know folk were clambering for him to start every game but I kind of though Maresca was getting it right and bringing him through slowly (although he was not giving him enough minutes). So then Maresca decides to play him in a tough away game with a weakened side where a lot of our hopes are pinned on the skinny, 18 year-old and unsurprisingly, he failed to deliver. Neto should have started and then throw him on against weary legs. Sure it won't effect him as the lad is full of confidence and very talented and hopefully it was all part of the learning curve but it was yet another Maresca f**k-up.

I really feel for the travelling supporters. They were making good noise in that first half but the team gave them little to cheer. It has been a long time since I went to a mid-week away game but to go all that way, get back at some God forsaken hour in the morning just to witness a performance like that, fair play to each and every one of them.

Would love to be a journo who hits in the post match interview and fire a few uncomfortable questions at him. "So Enzo, lots of changes tonight and it ended up a bit of a disaster. What was the need to make so many changes (and please don't say the fixture congestion as ALL teams have it)? I know a lot of Chelsea supporters really rate young Acheampong and yet he hardly ever figures and you decide to start with Badiashille and Tosin, two players who have made countless mistakes in the past and never look comfortable". And you play Fernandez EVERY game and never take him off, regardless of how badly he is playing. So why is that exactly?" "WHY, YOU BALD c**t, WHY?!!!"

Spot on, was going to post almost exactly that. Like you, am split between being angry and just fed up with it all. Inexcusable that a game against old rivals like Dirty Leeds, should be surrendered with so little fight. Leeds will have few more comfortable games this season and that's ALL on Maresca and his sh*t line-up. Players who have looked good, like Chalobah, Cucurella, Santos and Sanchez, were all bad last night and that's because by playing the two clown CB's, the balance was completely lost. You're bang on when you say Trev only goods good alongside Colwill or Fofana. To be fair, think anyone would struggle alongside the other two. And Sanchez, back to his dithering worst. I watched the whole game but had turned the sound down and understand Neville called out the dreadful tactic of our defence just knocking the ball about for miuntes at a time with little urgency. Criminal. So fed up with it all and really not looking forward to upcoming fixtures.

He had looked better recently but was so annoyed with him last night. As you say, he puts on the passion - at 0-0 when we were under the cosh, you see him remonstrating with team mates and giving it the big 'un. But any time he's challenged, he goes down, arms waving about, looking for the ref, when the opponents are coming away with the ball and the ref's not interested. His passing is so hit & miss - gives the ball away far too regularly and with no James or Caicedo to bale him out, he looked bang average again. No way he should play every game and never get subbed. Maresca's golden boy.

This is what I cannot get my head around. Just what has the lad done wrong FFS? He played earlier in the season and looked very decent. Raw, but decent. Was MOTM in one game. Yet we've hardly seen him since. Instead, Maresca is happy to select the likes of Badiashile and Tosin who we all know, f**k up on a regular basis. It's inexcusable. As soon as I saw those two clowns in the starting line-up last night I feared the worst, as I'm sure many CFC supporters did and the outcome was just all too predictable. So f**king angry but at the same time, resigned to the fact that this is life under Maresca.

Yeah, he's still sh*t.

The "Genius" reverted to being the bald c**t tonight. Seems he can put a side together for big games like Liverpool, Arsenal, PSG, Barca etc. But then he has to play about with the line-up and play players who should be nowhere near the side. Got it badly wrong tonight and seems clueless in these type of fixture. Could be a long, sh*t December.

Not great tonight, but then again no-one was.

He's looked very average for a while now. Just happened again - even though he was offside.

What a sh*t show. Tosin shouldn't play again. Fernand strolling about, giving the ball away for fun. Even Challobah and Cucurella have been jittery tonight and Sanchez back to how he looked last season. Absolutely piss poor. Leeds totally deserve the win on sheer effort alone.

I would normally keep a player like Estevao on but he looks like a kid lost out there tonight and also looks like a red waiting to happen. Gusto on to save the day FFS............................

Would get Palmer, James, Neto and Acheampong ALL on at HT for Estevao, Pedro, Badiashille and Tosin. But you could literally take anyone off. Need a massive second half. Villa have come back from 2-0 down - even Fulham nearly turned over a 5-1 deficit. Come on Chelsea - wake up FFS!!!

So f**king poor - every single one of them. That's what you get when you start Tosin and Badiashille. Enzo has been useless, as has Pedro and Estevao not existent. Wholesale changes at HT to try and salvage something.

As much as it might not seem like it now, I have no doubt whatsoever, that Delap will turn out to be a big upgrade on Jackson. Folk will say we needed the finished article NOW, rather than yet another player with potential and I agree with that, but we have to accept, that's not how these owners operate. The squad looks a whole lot better and more balanced than last season and the absence of Jackson certainly contributes to that.

Very well taken goal when he came on against Barca. Expect more of that when he plays more. Jackson may be temporarily at Bayern now, but believe me, he won't end up at a club like that!