Chippy

Its always an added bonus to dissapoint the likes of Thommo Revolution on its way mate.

Great performance under the circumstances, after going a goal down we could have crumbled. Carvallo was massive, his presence beside JT just makes me feel everything could one day be ok. Joey, Drogs, JT a good game for everyone and the Substitutions at the right time with the right players Imo. regardless of whats gone on surely if grant was slated for the Fulham result he deserves credit for this. lets hope we can carry it in to our league games now and hush the mouths of the oppositions fans who have been on a high since Jose departed. maybe we wont implode just yet.

Under normal circumstances that would be a good team, lets hope Riccy is sharp enough with JT maybe a bit fragile (does JT and fragile look right in the same sentance)

Essien, Terry and Mickel starting....Sheva on the bench

I'm as piss*d off as anyone with the way this has gone, If it had to happen I would have preferred it to be done in the close season (last or next) But, I wont blame Grant for it happening and wont blame him for the results so far, this is not to say I am stating I dont think any of the blame lies with him, It's just saying I dont know if it does. I have read the opinions on this forum of posters who's views I value and can see where they are coming from and dont think they are over reacting, I just feel whats done is done and too much anger directed at the new man is a bit un called for. what I think is he has been given the Job and as I have said before although he would not have been my choice for it, I will back him while he's here, that may not be for long but 3 games is too short and unfair. anybody that takes on the Job with the way the players and fans loved Jose is in for a tougfh task, let alone with the injuries and redcards taking effect as now. I wonder what as an opposite to this poll, he would have to do to get the fans behind him? a draw tonight imo would be a great result, follow that with 3 or 4 wins on the bounce and I would say he's doing well. I would like to see him do it but then I wish any manager of Chelsea the best of luck.

can we get this thread on track? Liam, what colour lipstick would Billie be wearing?

He basically played without a midfield. There was no link-man bringing all the elements of the team together attackingly and that is why we were so disjointed out there. I don't know how you can get something so basic wrong at this level. All he had to do was drop Sheva and put Joey into a midfield spot to link up midfield and attack and hence play a 4-3-3 instead of the 4-2-4 Chelsea played and we would have been able to hold onto the ball, create better quality chances and not look so disjointed. We would never have missed the extra attacker as they were all getting in each others way anyway and you would have seen a much more organised display. We dont know for sure what his instructions to the team were and how closely if at all those instructions were adhered to, Do you imagine Steve Clarke missed the fact we never had anyone linking play? I know it was dire, again I say he needs time, the players need time and the fans need time to get over Jose and that alone will take time.

It is possible they ignored Grant's tactics and played their own way instead. Though that just switches the critisism from being a dunce tactically to being a dunce as a man manager. Or possibly back again to needing more time.

might have a few of them 1. the Eagles (Joe Walsh) 2 Hendix experience (mitch mitchell) 4 the wailers? 6 The Who (Roger Daltry) 8 Travelling Wilburys (Roy Orbison) 13 crosby stills nash (stills)

Ok you defended him after the Man Utd game, nice one thats fair 2 games is enough the third time he's out. the players may have not had time to get used to the tactics, they may have put there own tactics into place as they have not had the time to trust in Grant, I dont know any better than anyone else, I think more time is needed, you dont fine

I dont need you to help me see the light as if there is any it is a long way to the end of the tunnel, what I say is three games dont tell us what grant has to offer, Jose had three years and the players we are talking about and we lost to Villa so the ordinary one should be given more time. the players you mention wont suddenly be great if Avram is sacked will they? Oh and who on here is talking like we're the new Barcelona? Before people assosiate me with being the only one who wants Grant in charge I just want to say I would not have chosen Grant and know nothing about his prowess as a manager If Jose had to go and I think he did as he and Romans relationship was ever deteriating, it should have been in close season last or next and I would have liked a proven manager to have come straight in. things never happened that way and Grant is there now, I will support him while he is here and hope he turns it round, I wont get on his back after three games and I wont abuse him for being not as handsome as Jose, not as Charismatiuc as Jose not as confrontational as Jose if fact I will if he can last that long give him at least until after January before I abuse him at all as I think putting his ideas into practice will take that long. as I say these are my opinions and are hopeful ones.

Goodbye Mickel my pretty one, your little foul put Evra on his bum, the ginger twat got you redcarded, I think the ref must be retarded, he should not have sent you off, even saha's dive was soft.

I am as upset as anyone about yesterdays performance but again feel we need to give the Manager more time, we had a lot of possesion and a fair few chances and Grant never missed the chances the players did, We have not played well all season, why can we expect to suddenly play well now? the team has lost a great manager and the players dont yet know if the man in charge is bad/good/great. we would be making excuses for this draw if Jose was still there (no Essien Lampard Swp Carvallo Mickel, Drogba not sharp and sent off, Terry not on for the second half) all reasons to lose any cohesion the team may have had, add to that Shevas form Pizzaro still showing nothing and I cant see how Grant should be taking all the blame, the players dont look up for it (Malouda looked uninterested) and that could be a motivation thing but its only Grants third game in charge and the players have got an excuse and that may be why they are so lak lustre, maybe the excuse is more of the problem? I am not sure a high profile man would have had anymore impact on results so far as the players (and fans) believe the best has left us and if we were struggling a bit under him, we are in trouble whoever is in charge. I think when we Have Lampard and Essien back a fit Drogba and a fit Ricardo the spine of the team will be strong and the others will gradually fit in around them, It will be too late for the title but hopefully we will still make a CL spot. The worry for me is the CL now, I am hoping for a big commitment midweek and if we get it and can win the game (a big if on yeasterdays performance but a big if on the ones against Villa, Reading and Pool aswell) it will give us a big lift and keep us in the hunt for a massive prize that looks impossible now. I know everyones gutted sh*t I am but Grant probobly never had a lot to do with Jose going and has not had time to do much with the team, the players are stinging from losing a manager they had total faith in and until they get over Jose I think anyone would find the Job hard. only my opinion and a hopeful one but another way of looking at it.

Well said mate

Well...what I meant to say was that they (Fulham) simply blew 2 clear CLEAR chances at the end. In the face of that, we can count ourselves lucky. Yes, the others too. But although I think Kalou is one of our most promissing players, he misses too many goals. Not only today. Has been going on since day 1. Yeah true but the chances they missed came after Grant took of a defender and put on a striker instead of worrying about holding the home record he at least had the guts to go for the three points no matter how unlikely it looked, he could have played more defensively to keep the clean sheet and I doubt Fulham would have got those late chances. Kalou is a very promising player, he's young and eager but does miss a lot of chances, he does also get himself into positions and cause problems for defenders with his tricks and deserves chances espessially when we have players who score less and create less as the other options. Only my opinion but he looked most likely to score today and thats with our three center forwards getting game time.

I thought about voting Macdonalds, but if he cant have us slaughter man utd at OT with ten men, only beating Hull 4-0 and then a poxy 0-0 draw with ten men and some woefully bad player performances at home to a team who are among the top scorers so far in the prem although they only had one shot on target aaginst us, what chance is there of him making a decent Burger

German Blue, on the Ben Haim issue My take on it is we Grant thinks (as I do) that a more mobile CB next to JT could work best, i.e Gallas, Carvallo. although Ben Haim is not in that company he is slightly more mobile than Alex who in my opinion is good back up to JT. With our CBs fit Riccy and JT should always be first choice with Ben and Alex back up. Kalou scored a couple in midweek which helped him hold his place I recon.

I disagree here. We could've won. We also could've easily lost. Agree here. I can't see where he's gonna get those boots though. Very true. Let's not press the auto destruct button just yet. On the first part You Disagree? You look like you agree when you say we could have won, But we could have lost. Thats true in this game as in most others The Kalou Boots, I know what your saying but if any of the other strikers have been Boot shopping somewhere else it doesn,t show Surely your not Putting Essien in the small letters catagory are you?

Start to worry about what? We're already out of the EPL race. Have you seen how far behind we are from Arsenal and even Liverpool? This is looking like a rebuild season. We're inept in front of goal. Sheva and Kalou and even Pizarro just are not sharp. Our best bet right now is Sinclair as he's got ball control and speed! Nick I know where we are in the table and I dont expect for a minute to win the title, I will be happy if we make the CL spots and improve our performances (which obviously if we make top 4 we will have done) We could easily have won today and no matter who was in Charge today the chances we missed we would have missed, at least we had chances and Kalou just needs to get his shooting right to make a lot of difference. Drogba needs to get sharp and the team needs to click, with Lampard Essien SWP Ballack Carvallo the manager would have more options. all I'm saying is 0-0 at home is not the end of the world.

That was bad, get in gus for next midweek and if we dont win maybe van basten for the weekend, hopefullly then by the January window we can have Lippi in to bring in some fresh faces No manager can change the style of a team and make it work in a week so I dont expect Grant to do it. if we are this bad in three months I will start to worry but as long as we dont fall too far behind the pack we'll be ok. I'm more sick about Drogs getting himself sent off to be honest as Sheva and Pizzaro dont look to have a lot of Goals in them at the moment. we had 59% possesion and no cutting edge, down to 10 men again and held onto a point, pressure on the players and manager is massive, lets give them some time. We miss Lamps more than I thought we would and our most lively player so far (sweep) was out. KTBFF

add to that in a lot of those games we had our main two goalscorers fit

Cech Beletti TBH JT Cole SWP Sidwell Essien Cole Sheva Pizarro Doubt Waynes fit enough for this yet maybe another 20 minutes at the end, dont think we need Maka at home to Fulham and think Sidwell can play a frank type role while Essien mops up. Malouda on for whoever tires or gets over greedy first between Joey and Sweep. Kalou for Sheva or Pizzaro if its not working. 2-0 for me cheers

Great to see sinclair get on the scoresheet. SWP probobly again the most dangerous for me. Sidwell done well and I think there was a sign of some better diagonal passing at the right end although players not always on the same wavelength and the opposition made it easier. all in all not bad and a welcome decent win, now lets hope we can carry it into our next game and build some confidence back. mom for me Seepy, greedy but looking confident and hope he's not badly injured.

Its not likely another man could have the same immediate impact on the trophy cabinet as a lot has changed over the time Jose was here, not just with our squad but with the improvements in the rest of the Prem, not even just our main rivals. I dont think Jose is the only one capable of taking us forward and would go as far as to say we have not been going forward for the last year IMO. I think as we all do Jose was brilliant for us and is one of the best there is but with all the goings on it could be a mix of the fueds getting to Jose and/or the players but something was just not right, we have to just hope either Grant surprises everyone and turns out to be along with Clarkey an able replacement or that he keeps us in with a shout of CL next season while his successor is found. I am embarressed with the way this has come about but I still think it could turn out ok and will be hoping Avram quietly wins us over. I try not to picture him waiting in the wings making snyde comments about Jose's tactics to nick his job, Harry never suspected him of that stuff at Portsmouth and has said decent things about him so I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now and consentrate on the results instead of reading about all the in fighting. Jose has said he would like to come back to us after Roman and that is typical Jose, it wont help the new man win the fans over and it wont help him earn the players respect, and as much it it would be great, after Roman who could pay his wages

Surely the logical solution would be to downgrade the red to three yellows then