Chippy

Yes indeed, could have only improved if Boro had scored 4 more, still its looking a bit brighter

Our opinions differ slightly on this, I said "having said that he obviously has views closer to Romans than Jose did or he is just clever enough to do the job while letting Roman have his input and still manage his way," you replied "Grant will never cause Roman the trouble Jose and that is due to his personality and because he knows what Roman wants and is happy to go along with it" I dont think you give Avram credit that it is possible he can keep Roman happy while getting results and playing decent football, Jose either wouldn't or couldn't do both. so far Avram is doing just that and I see no reason to doubt he will carry on and even improve on it. lets drop this here and remind ourselves at the end of the season and maybe we'll go into it when its not just guesswork, it must be getting pretty boring for everyone.

Praise indeed from Charlie, he really looked like he enjoyed it. City tried to play football instead of damage limitation and that will surely warn some other teams, I can see some big defensive displays coming against us as soon as we go 1 up in the near future.

Malouda had a mare - I don't recall a single thing he contributed to the game. Total shocker! Joe I thought played very well. He seemed to have turned his football brain on again and contributed a lot to the higher tempo that we played at. Took his goal excellently. Your not wrong, Malouda was invisible today and was totally out of position for all the goals

Agree. Amazing speed from him at times. What happened to the old Ferreira? And we also got to see a great cross from his left foot. It's another one of those little changes that you have been missing Moos Avram clued him up that the half way line isn't electrified

Lampard by a mile but good from everybody today, special mention for Paulo I think he done very well and nice to see Essien's not a one season wonder

well written Loz, the site is certainly getting better

Tromso in the CWC in 98 when we won 7-1 (in the snow ) is the last one I can think of. we lost 3-2 in the snow, the 7-1 came at the bridge. also, a few weeks later we trashed spurts 6-1 at 3pointslane with a hattrick by flo Spot on the groundsmen had to keep sweeping the snow off the white lines cos you couldn't see if the ball was going out of play, game should have been abandoned.

There is no way that Roman would appoint someone to manage his team if he did not what someone to share the same philosophy as he does about the direction the club is going in and the style of play he wants. He got rid of Jose precisely because he did not share it, so in employing Grant he has made sure he has a man whose views will coincide with his own. It would be fairly stupid to employ someone who didn't after the rumpass caused by getting rid of Jose. The appointment of Grant is not by chance, there are going to be no differences of opinion between Grant and Roman as there were with Jose a totally different character with a different philosophy - again hence the reason from the split. To find someone with the exact same philosophy would be a needle in a haystack job and I doubt if Avram is that needle, having said that he obviously has views closer to Romans than Jose did or he he is just clever enough to do the job while letting Roman have his input and still manage his way, without the clash of ego's Jose could have (imo) done the same.

Great post Kev, specially liked this bit "Nobody demands for us to become "like" Barcelona. But I do believe we could learn a thing or two about entertaining the actual supporters, and when it comes down to it that is what this game is supposed to be all about. I agree entertainment can take on many forms, some people, you included, define entertainment as control of the ball and the game, passion, desire to win, determination, and so on. But my point is all these things can still be had ALONG with attacking football. Nobody is demanding these things end, long may they continue, but Mourinho was asked to add something extra to his game plan. And he wouldn't/couldn't do it. That's why he's gone, simple as that." I think the graduel improvement was evident again today dont you

Agreed, just because Jose took the wage and the job does not mean he had to be Roman's bitch. He had a vision for the club, apparently explained it in detail on Roman's yacht when he met him, impressed the hell out of him and then what? Was that the vision Roman wanted or was it the vision he pretended he wanted for then and he figured if he applied some pressure a year or so down the line Jose would have a change of heart and start agreeing with the actual way he wanted things run? Guess we will never know but at least now Roman can't complain about differences of opinion or clashes of ego, he has brought Grant in who one presumes has exactly the same philospophy as Roman as do all the people now working at the club. If things go tits up don't go blaming Jose because the "bitch" has left the building. What makes you say Grant has exactly the same philosophy as Roman? because the bloke has taken the Job? he has probobly watched from the sidelines and thought he could make some changes that made for a bit more attacking style, have you never watched Chelsea play and been thinking why dont we attack more, why dont we use the width, why do we keep hoofing the ball to Drogba? anyone in football has and always will have opinions on the ways teams should play and Grant has now got the opportunity to see what he can do, he got offered a great Job and he took it, now he wants Chelsea to win and he hopes he cam make them do it with more style. he wants exactly what I want and I wish the man the best of luck.

good analysis, people will go on putting our recent decent run down to weak opposition until we lose and then it will be "see what happens when we play a decent team", the fact is we were in worse form before Grant took over, there is no huge difference true but we have started to play a bit better. dont lets forget we drew with Rosenbourg at home, we lost to Villa, and we got as lucky a point as we ever will at Liverpool before our recent run. its great to be loyal to Jose, he was brilliant but he is not Chelsea's manager anymore, Grant is Chelsea's manager and he is under difficult circumstances, be it player unrest, fans unrest or just the usual getting the team to play the way he wants (maybe not changing that much from the usual way as he knows that was usually pretty reliable). He has never said Jose's way was wrong, all he wants to do is put a different slant on it and make it more entertaining, this will take more than six games but so far he is doing well.

---------cech----------- Beletti-BenHaim-Riccy-Paulo ---------Maka--------- ---Mikel-------lamps--- ---SWP--------Joey---- ---------drogs----------- I might be wrong but I think Wayne's still suspended for this one.

I wonder if there is any truth in this? but giving it the beniefit of the doubt, If it sharpens him up then it seems like good news to me, he has a good brain and might have to play a bit different but he's a Chelsea player and I wish him the best of luck, No one really knows how much of his bad form is down to "gone legs" and how much is down to "gone confidence" my take on it is if he sharpens up a tad and has a bit of luck (obviously when he gets a chance) his confidence could return and we could have a decent player. Its a horrible way to end a brilliant career if he doesn't come good here and he deserves better, I hope he at least becomes a useful player for us towards the end of the season for Chelseas sake and his own. Run Sheva Run i liked that.

I believe in the professionalism of our players. Some might be more professional than others. Dont try to build drama in something that possibly isnt there, women do that . The players are paid huge amounts of money and their fans are usually workers like probably most of us. I really believe most of our players think of these things even a bit. I dont think they want to look like bunch of arsenalholes in our eyes and act like primadonnas. Bosses change in normal workplaces also, but people move on. I think most of our players have moved on. If you think of it from the players point of view most of them are better playing in Chelsea, I mean what would be better team to win something. Ok you might say ManU, Barca or Milan, but the fact is that it is really hard to break into those teams.

Too right, as I said City are gonna be quite a tough test and they haven't done a lot wrong so far, If we win this one I will be well pleased, I would like to have had some more fodder lined up for a few weeks so we could get a flow going.

you hum it Kev

Why is it that a lot of people are just waiting for them to fail? surely it is enough that they are in charge of team affairs, that we get behind them, not wishing and hoping they screw up. Unbelievable. I cant see what people expect in the short time they have been here, I think they have done pretty well, its ok to say they are playing like Jose got them playing when they win but when we lose what then? I think the passing was better in patches last night and when you are ahead passing around and frustrating the opposition is all part of the game, waiting for an opening is what I see it as, perhaps all running forward gung ho and conceding would be better? I'm well happy with what I've seen so far under the circumstances.

Drogbas comments mean nothing to me, I doubt he made them for one and for two whatever he or anybody else says the media put their twist on it before it gets to us. Losing one of the best forwards in the world if that happens will be sad but if he is stirring things up which as I say I doubt then maybe we would be better off in the long run without him, I would also add that he will be leaving one off the best clubs in the world so not a great career move. We have won games you'd expect us to win? agreed me two and I expected us tro beat Rosenbourg and Villa, yes Rosenbourg just beat Valencia but we beat Shalke who beat Rosenbourg, does that mean we are improving faster than even I can believe The signings can be argued over for ever but not many managers would complain about Sheva and Ballack being thrust upon them and in fact some may have even found a way to make them work, I know Sheva still is getting no games but Ballack surely will and I believe will be a good player for us towards the end of the season (just my opinion based on I think he has been ok up to the injury) sheva too may still contribute once TC has had a bit more to do with the coaching. Not trusting Grant? football is a business and the man came here to do a job, he then got offered one of the biggest jobs in football and took it, If he turned it down his family and friends would probobly think he was mental, everybody in every job wants to move up the ladder and he has taken his chance and taken it very well so far, a reason not to trust him? Jose has supposedly said he's not interested in the England job, he said he would have been if it was earlier, does this mean he would have walked away from Chelsea to manage England a few months back? Grant can do no more than he is doing.

This is going to be the one of toughest tests so far imo, Sven has got City playing well and brought in some good players who seem to have gelled amazingly quick and I have got to say he has made me change my opinion of him as a manager. that said I think barring defensive errors we can keep a clean sheet and I am struggling between 1-0 and the defensive error idea 1-1. I would like to see Sweepy get a game as he will be up for this one and could give us the added pace to worry them, would love to see JT back for this one.

You found that game dull? I mean you are entitled to your opinion and all but HOW could you find that dull? Sure it wasn't an education in attacking football, but we created plenty of chances, moved the ball around very well, for me personally the first 25 mins were the best football I've seen from us all season. Secondly, Schalke although injury hit, are a very good team, so it would have been pure stupidity to blindly attack when we were already winning. Even Barcelona in full flow are cautious when they play the big teams, because they know they can be hurt just as easily with too many men upfield. It wasn't against the big teams that most people had their gripes with Mourinho about playing defensive, control football. That's just sensible. The problem was when we did it against the little teams, (Rosenborg) sides who we should be trouncing 4-0, but instead we passed the ball around at the back and never tried to turn the style on and actually entertain, even when winning. Lastly isn't it possible that Grant is sticking with a formation the players know, and which our squad is built for, until he can bring in replacements/additions in January/End of season? We have only got one in form striker, and Grant seems to realise this. Of course we could play Sheva up front just to be different from Mourinho, but that wouldn't be very sensible would it? Kev, you saw the same game as I did mate, I think some changes are evident and six matches in thats all that can be expected, the ball is definately starting to ping around a bit better and we are getting people on the end of it more, crossing has become a bigger part of the game and we used the width of the pitch better. all that said it is still going to look Mourinhoesque for a long time as although Grant is trying to stamp his attacking entertaining style on the team, he is not silly enougfh to throw away the great work Jose done making the team solid as it often is, what we need is somewhere between the two and I think with six games gone we are as near as any could hope of finding that happy place. nothing is going to change totally overnight, the players have to learn and I expect there may be changes to slot in and help the transition along, so far so good I say.

Drogba agin for me, hes such a handful and was all over the place, Lampard was more like his old self, Carvalho was superb. only down side for me was Alex looked a bit clumsy and Essien still needs to recover his best form. decent enough performance although only good in patches some of the passing was quite crisp.

Enjoyed that once I got the stream sorted out, Some of the passing was looking good and we can take some positives out of the game, Shalke played their part and the Ref was a nightmare for both sides, Alex looked a bit dodgy with a couple of crosses and for a big man he should do better, Lazy back pass also he should have walked for the shirt pulling, Drogba was superb again and he looked happy to me not like a player who wants away, Cech is awesome, Liverpool lost and the world seems better for it somehow.

Essien should have scored there got that other stream working kev cheers

I cant get it mate, I have not downloaded the player so that might not help, cheers though