Chippy

I really liked de Bruyne and was gutted when he went but Mourinho's explanation will do me (at leaset he has given one) and as much as I can see Mourinho's point, I can see KDB's as well...he had the belief in himself and if that belief had have had him really take his chances (the few he got) we may not be discussing it now. Sad thing was I remember him having a good game against Hull and then against UTD he got an elbow in the nose from Van Persie, I don't know if that contributed but he had a poor match then and that was almost the last I remember. He has improved at Wolfsburg and now people are starting to see the player he believed he was, it's nobody's fault it didn't happen here apart from maybe his over confidence. I do wish him well in his career but hope he doesn't set the prem alight with City.

Begovic for me, top keeper and another we are lucky enough to have that's too good to be on anyones bench.

Not a good day and always a possibility with our poor preseason and lethargic start to this, City, wounded by last seasons events were always going to be well up for this and definately played us at the right time. I like most people lay some of the blame at Jose's door but talk of his exit is absurd at this stage of our first season for a while carrying the burden of the title "champions". I think a few of the players minds are not fully focused and I don't think Jose knows his best team as the form of the players is out the window, it needs freshening up and the players are aware of it, why this doesn't spur them into better performances is anyone's guess but the season is young and most of the also rans have improved which gives a bit of room for error so all is certainly not lost. I think Jose is a bit reliant on some players that have been impressive and gives them too much leeway when they are out of form, Cesc for me is a huge concern and looks a luxuary that a not firing on all cylinders Chelsea team can ill afford. I hope Oscar recovers in time for the WBA game as although up and down has looked sharp so far and helps this team tick, without him I think we look more fragile and less organised. I am in one of the unusual times when I'm finding fault with the managers choices and tactics but no way does that mean I'd want to see him gone, stability is what I've hoped for here for quite some time so an upheaval when we have Mourinho in charge would be totally against what I want for the club, he's not my favourite Chelsea manager by far but he is the one most likely to have us realistically challenging for everything, he'll have his blips as every manager does and he'll sometimes send the boys out to play in a way a lot of us won't quite understand but when it comes to the business end of the season, I expect his explanation in the form of a chunk of silverware. Lets hope the boys get some pride back in the next game with a good performance and the manager in his interview can tell it like it is, no more excuses.

Where to start...Begovic was again a bright light, strange bench for me and very strange substitutions, Terry done nothing that deserved being subbed and although it was evident we could have done with some more pace at CB, after Cahills smack in the face and the fact that Terry is our leader out there, I find it madness that Terry was the one to make way. Cuadrado being on the bench in front of Moses was a mystery...him coming on in a game of such magnitude defies belief. Costa didn't look himself as every other challenge saw him looking to the ref far too soon instead of keeping at it which I normally love about his game, not many came out of this with much credit the way I see it, Jose is worrying me, I hope his substitutions are not like some pundits seem to feel an odd way of telling the owner he wants more players, I'd much rather believe his relationship with Roman involved being a bit more straight up than that.

If he looks good in training and gets a start ahead of Azpi at LB but Ivan still starts on the right, what do you think the ramifications will be? Lets hope the reception he gets from the fans is rambunctious anyway.

Jose luckily is just the manager of the club I support, I'm glad he is because he is one of the best in the game...because he is the manager doesn't mean I agree with everything he does and it doesn't mean he doesn't often make me wonder why someone with such charisma, such obvious intelligence can act like such a petulant knob at times. This has been one of those times for me, even now to deny the medical pair their place on the bench for me doesn't sit right, if for one game, one month or one season. Jose would have (and again this is in my opinion) gained a lot of respect from me if he elaborated on the mistkes he makes by admitting instead of hinting that this was one of them, having both the medics involved on the bench on Sunday would have shown he was big enough to admit he got it wrong. Like I say he's a great manager and I'm glad he's with us for footballing reasons but I do miss the mischievous manner he used to have that seems to have been replaced by an attitude I personally just can't take to. Maybe a good result Sunday will bring back some of the old sparkle.

Ba Ba yaro, Ba Ba Rahman, Denba Ba...It still gets my Goat how we never signed Alan Shearer.

Best hope Begovic makes it through the game ok then :-)

Jose has seemed a bit odd for a while, instead of his old mischievous ways with the media that always made him look one step ahead, he is sometimes starting to look like a bad sport and an excuse maker, I hope this doesn't last as it really doesn't suit him. I would much rather see him just congratulate the other team and get on with getting the players up for the next game, his excuses will give them excuses and that won't lead to more effort on their part. Not sure what's going on in his head, signing a new contract should send a message out that he's happy with the way everything's going here but the transfer business (or lack of) and the outbursts send a different message. I really hope we get a good result against City if not I can imagine we'll be hearing that we are only small Horses again as if the lack of strengthening has been out of his hands (which it well might have been).

53% Birthday buddies being Ashley Cole and Ed De Goey...We've beaten Spuds most in my lifetime and lost the most to some whinging lot I can't remember.

I'm a bit torn on Ivan, he certainly isn't a bad player at RB and mainly suffers against quick mobile wingers as we saw Saturday but surely Jose's gameplan must include Ivan's forays forward as I'm certain he would be screaming his head off for him to stay back if they weren't. Jose seems to be happy for one of the wingbacks to attack and as we see, Azpi rarely gets forward down our left, the fact that Ivan can't cross the ball seems lost on Jose but how can we doubt the usefullness of the plan with the way last season went? I do think Ivan looks a bit slower than he did and I'd find it easier to understand him getting forward and having to sprint back so often if the player beside Matic was more inclined to cover, Willian isn't dissaplined enough and I think his defensive duties when trying to cover for Ivan are telling on the attacking part of his game. I don't want to come across as a Cesc basher but I feel our problems are exagerrated by the need to accomadate him, well worth it though it is when he's at his mercurial best but when he isn't the whole team looks disjointed. I find it difficult to think of an answer, I wouldn't move him to Oscars position as I have always had high hopes for Oscar and feel he fits better there, I think leaving Cesc out of the side is unlikely but for me and against City for sure, I'd play Ramires or Zouma next to Matic and the rest of the team would be as it was Saturday. Hopefully either that will happen or Cesc will have a hatful of assists next week to underline how absurd my idea of dropping him is.

Oscar, must have been amazed he was the one chosen to make way, Fabregas as good as he can be is a waste of a place when he's not on it, wiating for the one great pass that sets up a goal can be really costly.

I thought we'd struggle a bit second half with the decent tempo we played first half after the lay off and the iffy preseason, worries for me are that we have three relatively slow defenders out of the back four...somethig needs sorting out there. I'd have like to have seen a couple of changes early second half as our tempo had dropped and I was surprised Jose didn't freshen things up. Good to see Costa managed the ninety although I'd have liked to have seen him come off earlier as a precaution. Hazard Willian and Oscar looking good which is nice but for me Fabregas is a worry, great on his day but not so much when our backs are to the wall. Could easily have been worse, hopefully lessons learned and fitness levels upped.

---- EPL and Europe ---- 1. What's your predicted EPL top 4? (and Chelsea's finishing place if outside top 4) Top 4 Chelsea, Arsenal, United, City. 2. 3 EPL teams to be relegated? Bournemouth, West Brom, Watford. 3. Premier League Top Scorer? Aguero 4. Premier League Most Assists? Fabregas 5. Player of the season in the Premier League & In Europe? (answer both) PL: Sanchez Europe: Messi 6. Young player of the season Premier League? (23 and younger at start of the year) Sterling 7. Champions League winning team? Barcelona 8. EPL overachieving team (relative to finances) Palace 9. EPL underachieving team (as above) Liverpool 10. EPL most improved team (based on finishing ladder position from one year to the next) Newcastle 11. EPL biggest declining team Liverpool 12. EPL manager of the year Wenger ---- Chelsea ---- 1. Chelsea best player? Oscar 2. Chelsea top scorer? Costa 3. Biggest improver? Willian 4. Biggest decliner? Ivanovic 5. Surprise packet (Chelsea player who will do better than most think) Falcao/Moses 6. Biggest disappointment (opposite of above) Cuadrado 7. How far Chelsea will go in the Champions League (group stage, round of 16, quarters, etc) Semi final 8. Broadly how well Chelsea will do in the cups (FA and League) FA Cup sixth round, League cup winners 9. Most over and under used Chelsea player this season Over-used: Fabregas. Under-used: Remy

I'm in, hoping I can improve on last years 12th place.

I haven't seen anything that tells me Falcao is going to be great for us but giving him some benefit of the doubt I'd say from my observations a few things...he doesn't hide away from the ball ala Torres, he makes reasonable runs, he looks a bit unfit and maybe carrying a bit more weight than when he was at his best and he has stayed in a league that he knows after his spell at UTD exactly how difficult it is. All these things give me a bit of hope, added to the feeling I had when he went to UTD that he just might be a great signing if he can regain the form he undoubtably had and that although that didn't work out as I expected the fact that Jose has taken a punt on him gives me the feeling he has seen something in him that tells him there is a fair chance of the right manager getting him into some form. I won't pretend Jose isn't a good judge of a player because Cuadrado has been a dissapointment, in fact that just makes me believe it's unlikely he'll get another one wrong in the near future. Here's hoping within a few weeks of the proper season we see Falcao shed a few pounds and gain a bit of confidence, thats when we can start to judge him fairly.

Just joined the Everton boys league...is anyone doing the usual shed end forum one this year?

I have to be honest and say Petr deserves to stay in the best league in the world, deserves to stay in the house he and his family have come to think of as home and deserves to play at a team who are realistically in with a shout in all competitions. I don't begrudge Arsenal having a great keeper who spent his peak years with us as they are the only choice he could have made with the proviso's listed above. I do hope they come up short as usual when it comes to the businsess end of the season but feel we have certainly strengthened them in an area they have been weak in for a while, they have a decet squad and I think they will be a force if they can bring in one or two more in key areas, I'm hoping the great signing they just made opens the door for a couple of bad ones but I am quite satisfied that our boys can improve on last seasons form ( looking at certain players who slipped below their huge potential) and again come out on top. I really will have a dilemma with Petr in goal for them as they are a team I usualy like to see lose, I get almost as much pleasure from it as I do us winning...not sure I can dislike them so much with big Pete in their team.

Thanks for doing all the hard work again this season Butch, back to back titles for me :-). I think we might have more competition for places next season so it could be even more difficult to predict the starters, lets hope we get a few more in the BPL.

Despite his age he proved Jose was right to bring him back, his infectious desire to win played as big a part as his football and I hope he comes back again in some capacity. what a legend.

Gerrards accolades mainly come from him being a decent English player in a team the press love to heap praise on, had Terry or Lampard been wearing their colours I can imagine they would be lamented even more. He has always been a player I couldn't stand (and I really don't get carried away with hating opposition players) mainly because of the way he is always the media darling and even in games for the country he could pick up the man of the match for one decent pass when he done very little else. I'm not surprised he belittled the show of class from our surrporters, he knows any future in the game he has will likely come from being that "faithful" one club through and through man and keeping the fans on side will help should he have his eye on a coaching role.

Willian again for me, always full of running and always trying to get the ball in the box to players who unfortunately didn't seem so intent on getting there. RLC was superb and I'd like to have seen him stay on with Matic beside him, thought he read the game well and was always looking to make interceptions...impressed me a lot.

is there a game today?

Willian for me, Jose must love the lad and he is getting better and better. Cahill was also very good and a shout out for Didier who had a decent second half and scored another vital goal to get us back in it.

If we draw five and win two it would be enough, quite enjoying the season with a few teams actually having decent runs where they look like contenders while we just look back at them all and worry about our unconvincing form .