Chippy

Anyone complaining about any of the line-up should at least wait until we see how it gos, we all know Fabregas has been worse than Hazard but a rested and fired up Eden would be a brilliant outcome if we get the points as well. I expected Baba to start but was surprised at Cahill making way for Zouma, I hate Oscar not being in the starting eleven myself but well excited to see how this team looks. I like to see a bit of rotation and hopefully it'll be a long season and we'll see plenty more of it.

^^ That post has again got me thinking about how enjoyable it all was back then, I don't ever remember moaning when Chelsea lost and I don't remember getting annoyed at a manager until Dave Sexton let Ossie and Hudson go. It would be brilliant to see Jose bring some youngsters in and see them run their hearts out for him, might be just what the established boys need to see they're up against for starting spots. I think only a conversation between the owner and the manager could leave the way clear for it though and sadly that feels like a lot to hope for.

That was my secret, now Gem's gone and told everyone and they'll all be after my special elixir...top secret ingredients available through my ebay account, £10 a bottle, a bit like Peckham spring. :-)

Oi Gem! have some respect, I've seen more Chelsea than you...100 years old, the cheek of these whippersnappers. Good post other than that horible ageist quip, you newbies are all the same, I count myself lucky you didn't call me a twat . Your summing up at the end just about echoed my own thoughts on Jose, hard man to like but there's no arguing with his ability regardless of what we've witnessed this season up to now.

As you say Nibs, Ploks post was superb, everything I wanted to see mentioned when I posted the thread, he's really asked the glaring questions that are running through even Mourinhos biggest fans minds if they're being honest and my post was aimed directly at posters like Plokoon and yourself of whom I'm confident are right behind the manager and Hope he pulls this round but are by no means convinced he will or should be given time to try. I started the thread with the many fans like you out there in mind who are echoing exactly what you said in your post "week by week and if we keep losing and there are no signs of improvement, NO Way can he last the season" I posted what I did to try to gently push home my point (my belief) that if Jose is going to have that sort of run, I'm not at all convinced a change of face will have any more success and I feel they'll take a lot longer to turn it round while I also believe when they do turn it round we will still be missing what we could have if we left it to Mourinho. I realise every change of face has brought a little uptake for a short while, some for longer but it never lasts and this perpetual in out saga rears its head again without fail as soon as the going gets tough. My fear this time is bigger for two reasons, reason one is obvious, much as I've defended every manager since Jose left the first time (I won't even include FSW as a manager) I have always believed quietly that we could never better him, we went through a lot of different names and each had there own measure of success followed by failure but while these changes came about we had one common denominator, the one thing that kept things on a steady and fairly even keel considering the upheavels and that for me was a great core group of players. Ok there are stories of these same players turning on managers and being the kiss of death for them, true or not the core group here now is far weaker, if they have turned on Jose, I don't feel they are strong enough to cause enough damage in this squad and if they are with him (which I'd rather believe for the sake of my future enjoyment of the game if nothing else) then I believe that not only will letting him go make them even weaker but I don't think they have what it takes to drag performances together under a new and likely less respected Coach. So for me and the purpose of the thread I'm just saying as I would if we we're talking over a beer, spot on, I can see your concerns But...we're just not going to get a better manager

Interesting read Ploks and not a million miles from a nail on the head article, maybe a bit over simplified but it does ring true especially to someone who mainly watches Chelsea games. A peek Lampard, Terry, Cole etc never ever new when they were beaten and some of the big game players from overseas are sorley missed too (it isn't only British players that have the attitude but it certainly seems more of them do when you think about it). It's still pointing out to me that we lack leaders on the pitch and I think some of our players need to step up, oddly enough Costa seems to have the right attitude if he could cheannel it just a bit better maybe some of the passion would rub off on the younger boys.

Occasional right back? never a right back he's only five foot eight

Plokoon I'm sorry I only quoted the last part of your post but I agree with all of it to an extent, I would certainly give Jose more time than you but no matter how much respect Joses biggest supporters have, we all must share your concerns. I can't argue with any of your post really all I can do is say (as won't come as any surprise to you) I'd give him the rest of the season and if we are playing better regardless of league position in may, I'd hope he stayed and had another bash at next season. There really is no reason I can see that he can't be more than a two season wonder, if he can motivate good teams to become better over the short term, I can find no logical reason he can't do it long term and better...I do think we need to bring some players in and I think the boys know that which isn't helping their confidence at all, especially being as the main players we rely on for leadership and their experience are the ones we need to bring in players to gradually replace. It's a tough one and Jose has always said and done things that are almost embarrassing for me as a fan, it is as you say much more bearable when we're winning and sadly that might be a pointer that it's a problem in our personality rather than Joses...at least he's consistent.

Honestly Bobby, no offence taken, I probably should have asked you to re read it before getting a bit prissy myself, good of you to apologise,

Intersting little piece from one of the espn bloggers if anyones interested. In the wake of the damaging 3-1 home defeat to Southampton containing a second-half display destined to remain long in the memory for all the wrong reasons, there has actually been some good news for supporters of Chelsea FC. The confirmation from the club that they retain their faith in manager Jose Mourinho is a very welcome if unexpected step and suggests that the revolving-door policy at Stamford Bridge has, for now at least, been put on hold. Normally a vote of confidence is seen as the first step towards an inevitable sacking. In the context of the reigning Premier League champions, it is a rare public comment in a moment of strife. Previously in Roman Abramovich's time as owner, when the results have been below the level of acceptability, the manager has been the recipient of a clinical, emotionless dismissal. A cold-blooded professional hit designed to remove the incumbent with minimal fuss and leaving little evidence of them ever having been there with official photos airbrushed to reflect the new reality. That Mourinho has been supported shows the burgeoning maturity of the club and of its owner. While some of Chelsea's managers over the past decade might have deserved their marching orders, there have been other knee-jerk reactions born out of impatience and lack of perspective that have only served to undermine the clear ambition. The original departure of Mourinho that preceded two years of flux would be the most obvious example. The situation was then mirrored in 2011 when the equally unfortunate Carlo Ancelotti was unceremoniously dispatched for the crime of finishing second just 12 months after winning the club's first and only domestic league and FA Cup double. Mourinho's return to the club in 2013 was packaged as a long-term project that would combine the building of a young team with instant success. The message from both the club and the manager was that this time the Portuguese was in it for the long haul, having assuaged his desire to conquer Europe's other major leagues. With plenty of cynical eyebrows raised, there was much murmuring that this standpoint would prove to be a mere platitude should results take a turn for the worse. Given Abramovich's penchant for ruthlessness, it was an understandable concern. For the time being though, it seems like the assertions of 2013 were not just soundbites; the desire to build a legacy and foundation to serve the club through the next 10 to 20 years are genuine ambitions. After several years of turbulence, despite the deluge of trophies that came along with it, stability is the new status quo at Chelsea and it is to be applauded. A cynic might suggest that the club's position is less the product of inherent loyalty and more of an indication of the lack of viable replacements. Of the big names that are available, Jurgen Klopp is reportedly more attracted by a rebuilding job in a secure environment, while Ancelotti is unlikely to fancy a return to the place that jettisoned him without fanfare. Of those who are currently working at clubs, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is perhaps the best ideological fit. However, there is presently little incentive for him to leave a club that he dearly loves in the middle of the season and that currently sits one point off the top of La Liga. ESPN FC's Gab Marcotti rates the likelihood that Jose Mourinho will leave Chelsea in 2015. In any case, ditching a manager at the first sign of trouble, especially one with the status of Mourinho, is hardly likely to have prospective employees queuing up to join the club. It might work for Real Madrid but they are the exception that proves the rule. In fact, it is a sign of Chelsea and Real Madrid's shared dysfunction that the last three managers to be employed by the Spanish giants have also worked for the Londoners in the last five years (Mourinho, Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez). In that context, Chelsea have already worked their way through the majority of potential candidates, leaving them with little option but to stick with the world-class manager they already have. And then there is the small matter of what happens when you appoint a new manager. The incoming individual will want his own staff, his own players and his own philosophy to be installed. All the existing work is ripped up as new foundations are laid. This all requires time, patience and, most importantly, a huge financial investment. Given Mourinho's track record of success at Chelsea, the immense regard in which the supporters hold him and his relationship with Abramovich, it makes much more sense at present to keep the faith. After all, this is a man who has won three Premier League titles and laid the groundwork for an unprecedented haul of trophies, including the Champions League. If anyone is going to dig Chelsea out of their current malaise it is Mourinho. If anyone should be trusted with a hefty transfer budget it is Mourinho. He has made some errors of late in his preseason preparations, his team selections and his treatment of the medical staff, yet he remains far and away the best man for the job. As Mourinho himself defiantly said, he is the best manager that Chelsea have ever had. Long may it continue. Phil is one of ESPN's Chelsea bloggers and author of Chelsea-centric blog ShoutyandSpitty.com. You can follow him on Twitter @PhilLythell.

No probs Bobby, emotions run high at times like this.

Scott if I could write like Dorset, I'd be starting fifteen threads a day Cheers though, I take that as a huge compliment.

It was aimed at specific people, not for specific people to post in as people who detest him are welcome to post...for me it's just to try to get anyone a bit undecided to think again. I dont need to explain to you why I started another thread, try to live with it.

This one is purely aimed at people on the fence, asking them to think again and come down on the managers side, I thought it deserved its own thread, If you've got a problem with it, don't read it.

I can start a couple more if it helps...obviously I'll put it to you first though.

Crisis looms. Results up to date this season have been unacceptable for a team of defending Champions, Performances have done little to suggest improvement with players struggling for form and weak links all over the park. Crisis? not for me but something that needs sorting sooner rather than later, the international break means for the second time this season we have to hope the answers come with the extra time on the training ground. The real crisis that looms over our club is after the statement issued, so often a warning sign to managers this one should be a warning to our fans, a warning that the owner in his wisdom may have learned little from the last eleven years and be about to repeat a mistake that makes the repeated starting of Ivanovic look like a brilliant tactical masterstroke. There might not be much time left, I urge anyone on the fence about Jose leaving to think about the options, think about what he's done for us and every club he's managed, think about the feeling you'd have if he was in the dugout of another premiership team and get fully behind him in the knowledge that he really wants to stay long term and the belief he will turn this round and given time, take us to the next level. We may have to be patient and it may be a two steps forward, one step back progression but bringing in another manager would likely mean two steps back for one step forward. I don't aim this post at the opposition fans who have signed up as Chelsea fans to spread unrest or the newbies who have signed up to slag him off because they genuinely don't like him for his smug personna or because they believe he is over rated, this is purely for people who are confused by his sudden slip from confident winner to a vulnerable human being who makes mistakes and loses the confidence of others like a real human being, I urge you remember that form is temporary and class is permanent...never has a saying been more apt. I know there isn't much we can do to help Roman and the board avoid repeating the mistake and I'm not asking for petitions to be signed or banners to be made, just if only in thanks for the good times Jose has brought us (his first stint here is what really put us on the map) get behind him when he needs it. If you're at the Villa game sing his name loud and clear, when the team is announced whoever starts applaud it and keep it loud until the end, don't be swayed by the nay sayers and keep your support for our manager through thick and thin, it can only be good for the club to stick with him through his temporary form dip.

I must admit to liking your word salad posts, for me you could put it after 90% of the rest I've read...keep it up, it cheers me up no end .

Just read this from the Mail.. As it stands there is no immediate danger of Mourinho losing his job at Stamford Bridge. The Mail add that part of the decision to keep Mourinho in charge is the belief that he would never return for a third spell at Chelsea. Just shows that the Board realise before the event it would be a mistake and they'd want him back.

Not much in it for me, in Jose we have the best manager in the world but to counter that Jose is everybit as good. If we could add to the choices maybe by bringing every other manager with a pulse into the mix, I'd probably plump for Jose. good thread by the way and one that involves the only choices we should be looking at (in my opinion obviously).

Certainly worked with Torres.

Good to see, well done to the ladies ::clap2::

That all sounds really promising and a lot of the reason the club went in for him but there must be a reason Jose hasn't used him, not seeing the problems is unlikely, too nice to drop one of his favourites in Ivan again unlikely, feels it is an issue right through the defense and midfield leaving our right side vulnerable, for me that's very possible, feels that Azpi is better in the LB position than he is in the RB position, again unlikely but possible. There are probably other possible reasons but none of the likely ones include Jose not seeing the problem, Jose wanting us to concede so he gets sacked and a payoff, or not wanting to sort it out for any reason.

I wonder if Brendan thinks the way the club handled his sacking showed character?

First team wise the biggest problem is the midfield, as Coco has said, Fabregas is a problem and although I can understand what Jose done when at 1-1 he brought Matic on (hoping to stop Rami getting a red and still have Cesc to hopefully help open them up) I really would have preferred (hindsight's good) RLC to have come on for Cesc at the same time, we would be having the same conversations here if Jose had have done that and a draw was the outcome plus people would have been saying we lacked ambition with that substitution and by the time we were behind I still think Matic was the obvious one to make way. I am concerned with Ivan as everyone is but I don't feel he is that different a player to last season although I do think his confidence is shot, it's more the cover he's getting now just isn't as good as it was and the nerves in the whole team are there for all to see especially once we concede. In hindsight again I think letting go of Felipe Luis may have been as big an error as all the usual ones bandied about as he looked decent and well up to standard, I think if he had have been here there would be much more weight in the Azpi to his rightful position theory, I and likely none of us have seen enough of Baba to give anything more than a guess as to if he would be good enough and that's why I don't keep on slating the manager for not playing him. I don't like to harp on but I still feel a lot of the signings are just given to Jose and not targetted by him, yes this happens elswhere but this is Mourinho and he has earned the right to build the team to his vision, I think he should have full control. I don't idolise the man, I just know he's a very good manager and changing him would be unlikely to help, more likely to hinder and keep us a team with no real identity, that identity that Mourinho can instill in a team that many would say kept us at the top for years after his first stint ended here. I say give him time, control over all ins and outs and show the players he's here with backing from above so if there are any rifts in the camp they understand that a few below par performances will more likely see them leave than the manager.