Chippy

I've been saying it will take time, baby steps and maybe a step back here and there, which is about right. funny you remember the Tel-Aviv result and not the win against Arsenal or last weeks decent away draw at an in form Tottenham.

That would be a travesty and I don't think Roman will be silly enough to let that happen.

He's tried the options he feels are the most viable and had some improvement, I'm the same as you in not being privvy to training sessions but you can bet Jose is there watching the other players that we all keep harping on about when a player in a similar position underperforms and you can bet he knows far more about them and how well they would do than we do. He's paid because he knows what he's doing, he's trying to get the best he can get out of the players he feels are most likely to get us out of this, the old adage of "why doesn't he just play the kids or such and such a player is OK from your front room when it has no consequence but Jose is playing this in the real world and his decisions are based on what he sees everyday and his instinct. He doesn't keep playing them and losing, He had Ramires suring up the midfield and he was out injured today which showed, we have nbeen better the last few games and played ok today, the fact the other team were called Bournemouth makes todays outcome sound worse than it was, we done ok considering we have no in form striker.

He hasn't been doing the same though hence the changes in players and even the attempts at playing a false nine...wonder if Einstein would have noticed that? And I'd say there has been signs of some sort of turnaround, todays setback just brings about all the old moaning again.

He's dropped all of the players you listed at the start of your post bar Fabregas I think and when he does, people are crying out for their return, when Hazard missed a couple of games people said he should be playing, same with Costa after one game and the first half today, he became the reason we hadn't scored. Ivan was out through injury after everyone and his wife wanted him dropped and there was no improvement, Matic has been in and out. people keep on about him playing the same team but he has tried a lot of different combinations and the results have not been much different. Game play has gradually improved with players like Hazard coming back into a bit of form but with Fabregas so weak defensively and Matic not anything like the player of last season things wil take time, time that bringing a new manager in would likely mean would take even longer. Costa, Fabregas and Matic are shadows of last years players and obviously Jose doesn't feel RLC, Mikel, Remy etc are going to be any better, it's not an easy job as the wage packet he commands might suggest.

Watching the interview with Jose after the game and you can tell he sees exactly what the problems are, must be frustrating to keep telling the players in training what they need to do and then seeing them not doing it in the game. "EVEN WHEN WE HAD TWO STRIKERS ON THE PITCH, THE BALL COMES IN FROM THE RIGHT AND NOBODY IN THE BOX" Must be like banging his head on the wall, I'm sure he'll get it through to them eventually.

Are you lot playing tomorrow?

Who's to say that with the squad at his disposal and the form of those players, he's not doing the best possible job with the tactics? who's to say another manager wouldn't come in thinking a team that won the title last year must be a doddle to manage (like most on here) and have us playing even worse, instead of being the better team and losing maybe we could be getting hammmered? too late then to call back the best manager we've ever had or likely ever will have.

I can't argue that Jose should shoulder some of the blame...if blame is what fans need to do when their team is under achieving and what you quoted me on was just an obvious anti dote to the post I replied to with a view to pointing out that it isn't as easy as having world class players or coach when results are all that you are grading performances on. I look at it that we have been playing badly, we are improving but there is problems with some players form, some players being too alike, some only being worth their place when we are flying and some generally looking half the players they did last season. The manager hasn't lost it in the last four months, he can see what we all see and he is struggling to right it, because there are many suggestions as to what he should do, who he should play (these get conveniently forgotten as and when he does try them and it makes no difference) it doesn't mean he hasn't thought of them,or tried them in training, I have no doubt he would see most of the problems and possible cures long before any of us. There is no better out there so changing him at this stage of the season could not help at all, changing him in my opinion would send us backwards. We lost today after playing badly but in all honesty deserving to win, the massive reaction yet again is totally over the top (again in my opinion).

Willian again for me, great close control and a few dangerous balls in to the box, a predetor type striker would have been sniffing them out and he'd have had an assist or two today. Hazard played ok in fact without the over dramatic end is near attitude as we lost again the whole team played alright. Nerves and lack of end product with poor officiating and very tenacious opposition took it's toll on the boys who are struggling to turn their season around.

You could use the same logic to blame the players...it can't be the world class manager they are playing under so it must be their fault.

A mate of mine had that a few years ago...he mentioned some umbrella type thing and antibiotics, he's ok now.

People love to call out Jose for every loss, not playing Costa was a mistake but in a full half he didn't make a difference, still the movement wasn't there and still when a dangerous ball arrived in the box we had one player loitering nowhere near the six yard box. Jose was right to leave him out and its Costas job to make himself undroppable, he hardly did that in the 49 minutes he got. Bournemouth played well but there is something wrong that gos deeper than a few players getting dropped here and there and their responce or lack of to it, we have too many that play the same style and we are carrying a luxury player that is only of any benifit when the team is flying...while they're struggling, for me Fabregas shouldn't get a look in.

Famous words

Ivan looking better but Fabregas is still the form worry for me, he should surely be watching a few from the bench, one good ball every couple of games isn't enough.

Spot on as usual Thrives, a step down in our performance and maybe we have under rated the opposition a bit with premature talk of a resurgence but as I've said for a while now our recovery will be in baby steps, hopefully Jose has proved his point to Costa and he'll get the second half to show he can handle the treatment that he has brought on himself, that or we'll see Remy and have the media full of the fall out between the manager and striker again. Pedro Hazard Willian and Oscar linking up well enough but looking to walk it into the net and needing a hungry and confident player to shoot on sight

Hope Diego's watching some of our early movement.

We won the title last season 8 points clear, 12 ahead of third and 17 ahead of fourth, hit some form and we can turn a 14 point deficit around on the fourth placed team at least. they'll all have upsets as well. Win today and that 14 points is 11...keep the faith.

Happy to see City dropping points but not surprised, the so called lesser teams are far more capable of taking points off the contenders than ever now and 14 points behind what is still the best squad in the premiership with 72 to play for makes for an interesting season for us. There's certainly a lot more surprises to come and I've no doubt all the teams above us will be on the end of some, lets just hope we've got most of ours out the way early.

Funny how you're pathetic enough to assume you are qualified in some way to read from an internet post the reasons somebody objects to a series of posts by somebody obviously on a wind up? This forum is a place for Chelsea fans, if opposition supporters want to join they're welcome and stay welcome as long as they show a bit of respect and stick to friendly banter...the worst kind are the ones that sign up as Chelsea fans and just keep spouting rubbish hoping they can breed some sort of discontent among the real Chelsea supporters, they always find one or two who side with them, sometimes others doing the exact same thing.

Rub dub, just relaxing in the tub...loving the optimism in this (the proper match day thread) Bournmouth coming into a bit of form at just the wrong time after their good showing against Everton which (along with pishposh's prediction has got me worried about this one, weighing all that into the equation and having my optimism dampened slightly I'll have to go for a conservative 2-0. Starters is a difficult one, thought Costa deserved dropping and didn't deserve to come on last time out but still not ready to write him off, big decision at the back as well with Ivan having his best game this season and Zouma/Cahill looking very solid I'd be sticking with the same back four against strong opposition, not sure if I'd bring Baba in in this one for his attacking threat. Always a tough choice between Oscar and Pedro aswell, if Hazard plays in the middle I'd go for Pedro, If Edens on the wing, I'd stick with Oscar.

I like splishy's predictions, if his predicted 4-0 loss ends 0-0 then his prediction of 1-1 should see us in double figures with another clean sheet I wonder if he's any more accurate when he predicts the results of the team he favours?

We've had the worst spell since Abromavich has been here, the worst spell in Jose's career...Everton are having quite a good spell but are still only six points ahead of us, If I was John Stones I know where I'd rather be if I were pinning my hopes on top four even this season.

Agree with you robdog, just rubbing in the fact that his usual inaccurate prediction didn't quite come off for him