Kenn

Brian, >>>When JM and Rafa first came, Chelsea had a much, much better squad than Liverfool. So, us beating them, was almost a fait un compl? (not that it's that simple, but you get my point). But, even back then (the 1 v 4 win notwithstanding) we had an enormous difficulty dominating games against them, and an even harder time actually scoring past them from open play. <<< I don?t buy your view here at all. What do you mean by ?Chelsea had a much, much better squad? when JM and Rafa first came? Are you now talking with the benefit of hindsight simply because over this period we?ve proved superior? Liverpool have always been amongst the top four and all the teams in that group are considered generally of equal strength, except in minor details. What makes these minor details into great advantages capable of turning one of them into first amongst equals is a great coach or manager. They all have great and world-class players, they all have depth and they all have money and are perennially competing in Europe?s top tier. If Chelsea were ?better?, it must have been marginally, not ?much, much? as you claim. Liverpool were not Tranmere! Indeed, I?ll tell you that by the time Jose came, it was only one year after we were the butt of jokes, struggling to qualify for UEFA Cup and being beaten by minnows even in that competition. Roman?s money bought us players thereafter, but no one can say now that Ranieri had built that world-class side that outclassed the Liverpool team that had won the treble two years before. Core members of that team like Gerrard, Carragher, Owen and Hyppia were there when Rafa came. It was when he came he began to shape the team in his own image, by shipping in truckload of Spaniards and so on. He?s brought in more players to the Premiership from wherever than any other Premiership manager (including Mourinho) since his arrival. So, where did this idea come from that we had a much better team? Better still, let?s begin a comparison of the players position for position by the time both came and see how far your theory stands. Of course, after they came, the Chelsea players that were there and the ones brought by JM proved their mettle to overcome all opposition. But they weren?t ready-made; Jose, unlike Rafa, built a team to win the Premiership. Maybe Rafa tried to build a team to win the CL, but he didn?t say so. As far as I?m concerned, he was lucky to win in Istanbul and luckier to get through the semi-final against us in the first place. But there?s no luck in the Premiership. You win, because you?re the best team over a season. Liverpool has always been a team difficult to breakdown. Even in their glory days, the strength of their all-conquering sides was mainly in defence, even as they had some great goal-scorers. You talk about the 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool at Anfield as if it was a fluke or happened when they just came, but it happened in their second season in the Premiership and they?ve just started their fourth. Who else has beaten Rafa 1-4 in the Premiership, but Mourinho? Who else has Mourinho?s record of beating Rafa in the league? Yes, both managers are good tacticians, but Jose from the record is a more successful one. Before yesterday, Jose has beaten Rafa five times in six league matches. The only one Rafa won, he won last January only because we had a horrendous injury situation. Yesterday?s match, which is the seventh, we drew. Of all those League matches, we scored a total of 10 goals and Liverpool scored 4 - two of which they scored in the one game they won, one in the 4-1 trouncing and one yesterday. If anything, there?s overwhelming evidence here that it?s Jose that has the measure of Rafa! >>>Now, as the years have passed, Liverfool have built a much better squad, and - as they have proved in the various semi finals we've lost to them - they KNOW HOW TO PLAY AGAINST US. A fact that's down to their manager setting out a game plan. Rafa, it seems, KNOWS how to stop Chelsea playing. Whereas JM doesn't seem to know how to stop Liverfool playing. <<<[/b] Where is your evidence? Is your evidence based on these cup ties? Well, let?s analyse. The first cup tie (Carling Cup), we won. Then came the first CL semi-finals. We drew the first leg at the Bridge goalless, but went out at Anfield on a ?goal? that never was. Of course, history has recorded that Liverpool won to go to the final in Istanbul, but are you going to seriously sit there and tell me that Rafa outthought Jose to get there, rather than the simple luck of having the benefit of a bad refereeing decision?. Again, we lost an FA Cup semi-final to them at Old Trafford, but everyone knows our injury situation at that point and the fact that our wingers were not firing partly due to niggling injuries. Cudicini was in goal and Duff and Robben came on later. While the shout in the press was that Mourinho was outsmarted by Benitez, it was clear from the performance on the day that the players were the ones who let themselves down. They woke up too late! Then there was the meaningless Community Shield they won 2-1 and then last season?s CL semis again. Again, there was nothing definitive about their win, because at full times, both teams won 1-0 apiece. They progressed to the final only via the lottery of a penalty-shoot out. So, they had luck on their side in the two CL semi-final encounters and won convincingly an FA Cup semi-final, does that make Benitez better than Mourinho? Is that what the overall record shows? Of course, all this Benitez adulation comes from the media-hyped idea that he?s the underdog and once the underdog wins any game against a favourite, even after perennially losing, we should celebrate him as though he?s killed a huge dragon. The other part of this is that everyone, including the media and the fans, expects Mourinho to perform wonders every time he faces any opponent. Once he loses, no matter how, it becomes another excuse to declare a public holiday. >>Oh, and as to the stat 'Jos??s won five, Rafa?s won one' that doesn't wash with me. Factor in ALL the games, then delete the first season, maybe two from the equation, and my guess is you'll find that there has been a distinct tipping point in Liverfool's / Rafa's favour in the last two seasons, when it comes to head to head matches.<<< Your logic does not wash with me. Why delete the first season? Please take the record as it is! Mourinho and Rafa have faced each other 16 times in all competitions ? Premiership, Cups and Community Shield - and Mourinho is still tops in spite of views like yours. He?s won 7 and drawn 4. Rafa has won 5, one via a penalty shoot-out, 1 a meaningless Community Shield and 1 by a ?ghost? goal. . And yes, whether anyone likes to hear it or not, the difference between Mourinho and Rafa?s sides in the league is 60 points over three seasons. So, use any parameters you want, Rafa is still Mourinho?s bitch! CHEERS!

Brian, What do you mean by the above? They?ve played seven games in the Premiership, Jos??s won five, Rafa?s won one and Sunday?s own a draw. What measure, when even the one he won last January he did because we had an unusual injury crisis?

RedRob, Enjoy it now, because this is the only time you?ll have the opportunity to rub shoulders with us on the basis of a draw in your backyard. By Christmas, you would have been out of the race, as usual, and your only ambition by then would be to beat Everton for your city?s bragging rights! >>>It looked clear to me that Essien received a second yellow, and i will have to see it later but i am/was bemused.<<< When you look at it again, you'll see that Styles didn?t book Essien twice, though Essien and most people watching thought he did. What happened was he brought out the card earlier to book Terry. He did by simply showing him the card in form of raising it above his head; but rather than get the necessary player?s info and tuck the card away, he still had the card in his hand, trying to organize the free-kick and explaining to everyone that was in his face why he was giving it. He came back to the point where the ball was, the card still in hand, asked Essien to hand over the ball, which Essien did. Styles then gave the ball to Torres for the free-kick, but obviously by then he?d already forgotten that he?d showed the card to Terry a minute earlier. He raised the card again, pointed to Terry (who by then had left the point) and finally wrote the player?s info and tucked in the card. He was certain he was booking Terry, but what he forgot was that he?d showed him the card when he was at the point of expressing dissent. It was natural for Essien to think he was the one being booked because he was the one standing by Styles (even though it was clear to everyone he?d done absolutely nothing to merit a card). In any case, the ref made it clear it was Terry he was booking, by pointing at him even at that ?second? time. His mistake was that he?d forgotten by then that he?d showed him the card. All he ought to have done was write the player?s info and put the card away earlier, not raise it again. And, by the way, Essien?s yellow, like this one in contention, was another poor decision as well. >>>I though the yellow card for Pennant was a joke, not because he didnt deserve it but because every single time we got a free kick, Terry, Mikel and normally one or two others were hounding the ref without charge.<<< So, what?s your point if you think Pennant deserved the card? Were the Chelsea players the only ones ?hounding? the ref? It?s his discretion to book anyone he considers to be hounding him. But there?s room for complaint ? vigorous complaint if necessary, and referees are the only ones allowed by the rule to make that judgment. If there?s no clear-cut case of a punishable footballing offence, referees do not just book a player. They are controllers of the game, not dictators! >>>Terry sets a disgusting example as England captain.<<< Let?s strip him of the captaincy and hand it to Gerrard then, shall we? >>>I do think torres dived when cole went in on him (was it cole?) but dont think arbeloa dived. I do think Mikel should have been booked for kicking Gerrard when stevie fouled him.<<< No, he didn?t kick Gerrard; he lashed out with his right leg while still on the floor (in the heat of the moment), but Gerrad by then was no more near him. No contact whatsoever. Carl, >>Torres did have a very quiet game and needs to get into the action a bit more, but im sure he will find his feet as the season rolls on. Plus with the few games I've seen Ryan Babel play he likes to run into the box, so hopefully he'll improve this and get us a few goals this season, but the main thing we have missed is a 20+ a season striker, so hopefully Torres or even Voronin can fill that spot (if Rafa gives them a chance!)<<< You still don?t have that 20 goal a season striker. Voronin will be your best striker and he wouldn?t pass single figure. Fernando Torres will not take the Premiership by storm. Today?s goal flattered him. Playing with an average team, he looked great but his scoring record (minus penalties) was poor. Now playing with a better team, he?d only marginally improve, and without penalties, he?d also be in single figure. If by today?s evidence, Rafa becomes convinced to put him in as a permanent fixture upfront, he?d be making a huge mistake. If Babel is given his chance, he?d make a better impact. But you still aren?t championship materials. I?ll advise you guys to begin now to prepare for a great cup outing this campaign; if you begin to dream and invest your energy in the Premiership, you?ll be found out and it may be too late to win anything by then. The title race is still between Chelsea and Man U.

Yes, Mod, I think Jos? is still trying to find his best eleven and his most effective formation for different opponents/situations. Injuries to key men and inability to practice and play them together in the combinations he?s working on haven?t helped. While I?m not qualified to question Jos??s selection (because he?s the one working with players and who knows their strengths and weaknesses and whether or not they?re ready to play and when), I was surprised he started with three ?lightweights? in a game like this ? SWP, Mikel and Kalou. I don?t know what Joe Cole?s fitness level is; but I thought he should have started in place of SWP, Makeklele in place of Mikel and Pizzaro in place of Kalou. I know he?d have preferred to start Alex alongside Terry at the back, but he needed to gently ease him in. Perhaps, he was taking the risk to play these guys in such a big game to give them confidence for the future (especially as he knows he has the personnel on the bench to change things if it?s threatening to go pear-shaped). If that?s the case, I think it?s a brave approach to the new season. I know there were things he wanted to experiment with last season that were thwarted by the injury crisis. I suspect, he?s now working on them. In three or four games, I think they?d start coming together. At any rate, I?m happy with a point. Not complaining at all. CHEERS!

Whatever anyone says about the penalty decision, it was not Chelsea?s fault neither did we earn it by deceit. It was one in a series of poor decisions by the referee against both sides in the game. I think Styles was overwhelmed by the occasion. It wasn?t a great performance by Chelsea, especially in the first half. The second half was more like it, but on the balance of play I thought Liverpool played better overall. Again, the main reason we didn?t win the game today was the fact that Essien was wasted on the right. He was effectively slowed down by Riise and Arbeloa. They couldn?t have had such joy with an Alves. I also believe if Essien was playing at the centre of midfield, Gerrard would not have found that pass for Torres. I?m not convinced yet by Mikel?s play; I thought we needed the guile, smoothness and maturity of Makelele there. However, considering the level of the young man?s experience, I think he did just okay. I like what I?m seeing with Alex, even with that cameo. I suspect he and Carvalho would be competing to start with Terry once he gets match fit. Ben Haim is good only as cover, a very good cover. Alex or Carvalho with Terry are the men for big teams. A point is fine. Indeed, I enjoyed the penalty more because I saw it as divine justice against Rafa. It was fitting that the man he accused of coming to Chelsea for money won it for Chelsea. I saw his face at the post-match interview and I thought it looked like a rotten tomato! We?re going to have a very enjoyable campaign this season, but not without a few heart-thumping moments. The so-called big four will certainly not have it all their own way. Right now, Chelsea still have the advantage. With all due respect to Man City, the ?new? factor will soon wear off and once teams begin to decode them, it would be tough and everyone would remember then how poor Eriksson is as a coach and how he bought players he hadn?t seen play, blah, blah, blah. But for now, let them enjoy the hilltop. Arsenal would test them as Spurs would test a smarting Man U. Portsmouth will be tough for us, because they also have that new element about them too. It?s still a long, long way to go, but we?re not in a bad position at all. We are mentally the toughest team out there and yet to gel properly. I think we need three or four more games to begin to show our true quality. I believe once we get going, our strength in depth will see us sitting at the top by Christmas. I have no reason to believe this is not our title yet. C?mon Chelsea!

While I?ve since accepted that tight-assed Rafa Benitez speaking beneath himself is now standard fare in any Liverpool versus Chelsea encounter of whatever shade these past few seasons, his continued singsong about Chelsea?s dollar this time around (after all that has gone on at Anfield during this transfer window), I think, borders on chronic amnesia. What more exposes a man?s lack of character or unwillingness to take responsibility than his clear inability to recognize when the boot is on the other foot? Long before the season commenced, Jos? Mourinho took a panoramic view of the competition and stated in each case what would be their ambition for this season. With regard to Liverpool, Mourinho did not say anything different from what the Anfield players themselves were already saying (and are still saying), which is that winning the Premiership is the focus for them this time around. Yet, egged on by the drama-addicted press, Benitez is now throwing a belated fit over this! Perhaps, Mourinho?s real sin was to add that Benitez would be without any excuse this season if they don?t win the league (since he?s spent heavily on players), or maybe the thin-skinned Spaniard isn?t comfortable being told that he now has to bring the holy grail of the Premiership title to Anfield having dared Liverpool American owners to back him for this purpose or he leaves. Or, maybe he recognizes that his Premiership record against Chelsea under Mourinho must be the worst of any Liverpool manager having lost five of six - his only win coming last January when Chelsea were unusually decimated by injury. Whatever the real reason for Rafa?s anger, he?s now emerged from his cupboard, geared in full amour, telling whoever cares to listen that Mourinho is breaking his self-imposed restraint not to speak about other clubs. It?s a measure of the man?s intelligence that he does not know the difference between a man saying he was going to be mellower this season and talking about other teams in a dispassionate, matter-of-fact way as part of his job as manager of another team competing for the same honours. It also did not matter to Benitez that Mourinho?s statement in question preceded his declaration to be mellower. However, the worst of Benitez?s shameless rants ahead of the game is his claim that Florent Malouda chose Chelsea over Liverpool because of money. I don?t know who amongst Rafa?s latest recruits is coming to Anfield to earn peanuts, but Malouda made clear why he chose Chelsea ahead of Liverpool. He has friends at the Bridge and Mourinho sold Chelsea to him better than Benitez could sell Liverpool. Anyone who?s watched how the Frenchman is adapting to the Premiership even this early in his career here wouldn?t be in doubt that he?s in Chelsea to fight for and win things (except you?re Benitez, of course). In any case, I do not think Malouda will be coming to Anfield to flaunt his wallet or to tell Benitez how his missus finds the London shops more chic than Liverpool?s. He?ll be coming to prove to him on the pitch why his choice of Chelsea is a more sensible one. Benitez?s relentless obsession with money and how it controls results, the players and so on makes me wonder what Messrs Hicks and Gillett really think of him, especially as he continues to glance longingly in the direction of Abramovich with all sorts of complimentary comments. He possibly thinks everyone understands that it?s his own attempt at mind game against Mourinho (to undermine the Chelsea manager?s own role in the success of the club), but I think the American moneybags wouldn?t wait forever to hear him compliment them too for bringing back the glory days to Anfield. Indeed, maybe they?ve already started wondering if Rafa is the right man for the job since he can?t stop admiring billionaire owners of other clubs. Or is Rafa thinking the unthinkable? Is he hoping to get that call one day to take over Jos??s job? Well, it won?t happen, Rafa! You fail to win the league this season, Hicks will kick your butt and Gillett will shave off whatever remains of your pretentious legacy at Anfield. You?re a good manager, no doubt; but you just don?t have it in you to be great. Sorry, we have The Special One and we are coming! Be afraid, be very afraid!

Comparing strikers or footballers generally across the era-divide is fraught with ?danger? ? different competitions, different technology, different motivations, etc. But beauty is transcendental ? a good striker is a good striker whenever. (1) Jimmy Greaves: A striker?s main goal is to score goals. Put him in any team and he would deliver. For his consistency, proficiency and phenomenal strike rate, he?s my number one, but just. (2) Peter Osgood: My personal favourite Chelsea striker of all time. For his vision, physical presence, panache, skill, grace and sense of style, he?s a close second. He represents for me everything Chelsea. He and Bonetti were my first Chelsea heroes. (3) Bobby Tambling: For talent, proficiency and leadership. (4) Kerry Dixon: for his all-action, all-round ability with the ball and the great memories through hard times. (5) Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: For his power-packed shots and his single-minded devotion to the art of scoring. Didier Drogba is still at the top of the game, so I?m not going to rate him now until the end or almost the end of his playing career. Of course, he?s got the lot and capacity to be the very best, but I do not think he qualifies yet to be in that list.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 246555.ece A good piece on Lamps by Mr Samuel, though a less generous view would say he?s just a Hammer trying to ingratiate himself to an unforgiving ex-love. Nonetheless, it?s my pleasure to inform Mr Samuel that neither Frank nor his present employers intend to wave each other goodbyes come next summer, even though at the time, the player would be at the ripe old age of 30 (and we all know where even the most fairy-tale of careers are usually headed at that point). He?s repeated again and again and again he wants to stay and the club have repeated again and again and again they want to keep him. Why haven?t they cut a deal yet? Well, he still has about two years on his contract and there is no rush, especially where the trust has been established between player, club and fans. Football contract talks are no cakewalks and Chelsea Football Club and Lampard will take their time to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. What matters is that at the end of the day, both parties find the will to sign it. Yes, they are only in discussions, not at war, Mr Samuel. Of course, the ?big news? is that he?s called off contract talks with the club for now, but that is because he wants to concentrate on what he does best ? his football. Surely, we all can understand that. Again, I say good piece, but Mr Samuel should not run ahead of himself.

Absolutely!

Introducing, TheWorldOfMakeBelieve- (FULL COLOUR!)[fade]ABRACA-ZOOOK[/fade]! Meanwhile, not even the most hostile of the anti-Chelsea media out there is debating which team really missed their big hitters. Next page, please!

People, While it would have been nice to win the biggest trophy of the preseason known as the Charity Shield, I do not think our loss via the lottery of penalty kicks is worth any serious analysis nor does it say anything about the campaign ahead. Frankly, when I saw our team-sheet, I thought it was an opportunity for Man U to give us a gratuitous pasting, simply for the sheer number of big hitters missing on our side and those playing at less than full strength. I know how much Man U would have relished the opportunity to superlatively undo our hoodoo over them. But then during and after the match, I saw nothing that should make me weary of their threat over a full season, even when Scholes, Hargreaves and Tevez are in. Indeed, as funny as it sounds, I saw more reasons to be hopeful from our performance - especially with the gusto which Malouda applied himself to the cause and the sheer skilfulness and courageousness of his goal under that kind of pressure. Okay, Wright-Phillips looks a little lightweight and predictable, Mikel still looks lazy and unfit and Johnson is certainly not the right guy for the right-back slot; yet, considering those yet to come into the team, I can?t see anyone stopping us. It will be tough, no doubt; but my confidence isn?t shaken. However, we need to go back to the drawing board to meet our short-term needs of hitting the ground running in the Premiership. We cannot afford to sell anyone anymore due to our injury situation. Indeed, apart from Alex already in, I think we need about two more players. We need Alves to compete with Ferreira and Johnson for the right-back position, because the latter two are simply too average to be trusted. We also need a fairly big name striker to complement what we have now, because I believe the injuries to Drogba, Sheva and Kalou are warning signs and now that we still have the opportunity to act, we should. There?s no doubt that whenever Drogba and Kalou recover from their injuries, no matter the extent, they?d still need to be eased into the team as carefully and as gently as possible. Whatever time they eventually get to spend will soon be cut short further when, along with Essien, they join their national teams for the ANC. Man U will lose nobody in that period and Liverpool will only likely lose Sissoko. Arsenal will lose Eboue, Toure and likely Adebayor; but I do not think they?re in the running anyway. So, we need to use this opportunity to get more players in and create a team that can generally keep us there or thereabout up till January. I say, pick up JFH, right now training with our reserves, on a short contract. At least we know he?d relish the chance of a last hoorah with the team he?d enjoyed the most success with as a player so far. Of course, he?s not anywhere near his best; but he?d do nicely for our purpose. He knows the club; he has the experience and, at this stage of his career, ego can?t be an issue when the main strikers return to take over. I say, let the old dog have his Indian summer! I?ll get my coat?

0-2 Drogba!

I think that?s poor journalism by Dominic Fifield of The Guardian (I?ve read similar uninformed reports in The Sun and Daily Mail). Whatever happened at the airport (and I have my own theory about it) has nothing to do with Alex being denied entry into the UK, as the club?s statement is clear as to the fact that after an initial delay, he was granted permission to enter. Indeed, the club made it clear also that he left back to Brazil voluntarily and would return when necessary as his work permit application is just being processed. Fifield claims Alex returned to Brazil after being told by immigration officials that he?s unlikely to get a work permit because he did not qualify having not played 75% as a Brazil international. Of course, this is not true, because the club statement makes clear that the application is just being made, which is understandable, since they are still discussing personal terms. More importantly, the 75% is not absolute; it is only one of the criteria needed for a successful application. Where a player does not meet that requirement, the Border and Immigration Agency can refer such an application to an independent panel which shall consider the application based on two terms of reference: (1) whether the player is of the highest calibre and (2) whether the player is able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in the UK. Of course, Alex easily qualifies on these grounds, considering also that places in his national team are amongst the most competitive in the world and nearly all of his international caps have come only with the relatively recent appointment of Dunga as his national team coach. Though the airport mix-up has obviously provided the gutter press with an opportunity for mischief, there?s no doubt that Alex will join the club this season. http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/workin ... ayers.html

Bluenut, Is this another conspiracy theory in the making? Well, football is about opinions and you?re certainly entitled to yours; but I think this cynical view about who really controls transfers is a little too much. Adidas and Nike are two of the biggest sportswear manufacturers in the world and one can only expect that they would be signing up and collaborating with big players and big clubs to sustain their market dominance. They certainly cannot have a say on who a club should sign or who a manager should play. Reading through your post, I don?t think you?ve said anything or showed any proof that this is not the case. In spite of countless investigations within football in different countries, so far, none of these sportswear giants have been caught with their hands in the jar of transfer monies. As a club, we have a right to change our strip, depending on what we consider to be the pros and cons of the choices available. And there is nothing strange about two captains of their national teams sponsored by Adidas coming to the Bridge at the same time. Ballack made his choice from amongst a list that included teams not sponsored by Adidas. Chelsea competed with these others for his signature, not only because he is a great footballer that would improve any top team, but also because he was coming on a free. Some people even believe he chose Chelsea because we gave him the best salary and personal terms. But whatever his reasons, there?s nothing to indicate his hands were forced. As for Sheva, whatever anyone says of him and why he chose Chelsea, no one can deny that he?s a great player and friends with Roman. One poor season at Chelsea does not make him a poor footballer brought only to satisfy Adidas. Personally, I was indifferent to Ballack, but preferred Ruud van Nistelrooy to Sheva at the time. My preference for Ruud wasn?t because I felt he was better than Sheva; but as I said at the time, I just thought he was a safer risk than Sheva since he?d proved himself in the Premiership and, because of the circumstances of his imminent exit from Man U at the time, I thought he would have relished the opportunity to join a rival club like Chelsea and put one over Sir Alex. Of course, all that would have depended on whether Man U would have wanted to sell to their main rivals in the same league. But after the club acquired Sheva, I was equally hopeful. I knew he wouldn?t have a problem with the weather being from Ukraine, and I thought he had the pedigree and hunger to succeed in the Premiership. Again, since the report was that his family was now keen to settle in an English cultural environment and with his wife insisting on this, I thought he?d be fine. Though I had a little doubt about his physical condition, that was only because he was then nursing an injury, which I thought was made worse by the World Cup, in a situation where he had to carry his country?s fortunes almost single-handedly in the field of play. On that basis, I didn?t think he was going to hit it off immediately; but I knew he was a good acquisition that would need more time to get going. That?s why I believe that this season is the right time to judge him. After all, even a fully fit and younger striker like Drogba needed a season to adjust; Essien also needed a season to adjust, so I see no reason not to give Sheva and Ballack that opportunity as well before passing judgment. To accuse Mourinho of changing formation to accommodate the designs of Adidas is to accuse him of conspiring with them to lose the title. Now, that is very difficult to defend. Mourinho did not adopt a single formation last season or the seasons before. He?s always experimented and he was forced to do more of this when injury decimated our squad, especially last season. Players? availability or lack of it always determined what Mourinho did. And, frankly, Mourinho didn?t accommodate both Ballack and Sheva at all cost. Several times he benched them (especially Sheva) when they were fit, because he felt they were not offering what he wanted or what was required against the opposition. Mourinho has always been known as a manager who dishes out tough love to his players, no matter their status and no matter their sponsors. He?s quick to antagonize players that are not performing as a way to push them to perform. He?s done it with Joe Cole, Crespo, Duff, Carvalho, Eidur, Robben and Sheva. And he?s indicated early that he?s about to do same to Ballack now. The fact that he said he doesn?t chase big names does not mean that if big names that can improve the team are available he wouldn?t go for them. The point he was making was that he?s no respecter of names and he would not build a team made up mainly of such big names ? once you come into his team, you?ll be treated the same as everybody and would be required to pull your weight. All Mourinho is about is that you perform! CHEERS!

Gringo, my balls are in your hands! Squeeze softly?

Voyeur! Voyeur!

Crazy! I wish I was in a position to be that useful to humanity! Thanks TBB; you deserve a knighthood!

http://www.chelseablog.com/2007/01/22/g ... /#comments

I've chosen 15 - 17.5 million, but would not want the club to go above 18 million.

Wicked, wicked Valerie!

I?m surprised people are falling for the cheap sensationalism being perpetrated here by bored journalists and commentators. How old is Arkady? How many ?favourite? players do you think a boy like that would have? My son changes favourite players like he changes his shirt, why should this be the basis to make any judgment? Why would anyone begin to reach spurious conclusions based on nothing? These stories are aimed at embarrassing Chelsea and to make out as if Abramovich is a fool, but he?s not and Chelsea are not a plaything for a Russian billionaire?s son. Roman has never been the kind that dictates to professionals, even where he provides the money. The key part of why the guy is successful is because he gets the best to do their thing. Abramovich is no Romanov. He has never chosen a Chelsea team and won?t start now. Mourinho is too much of a professional to stand for such farce. Chelsea supposed pursuit of Roberto Carlos is not based on him supposedly being Abramovich?s son favourite player. It was part of an elaborate smokescreen by Chelsea to send out a message to other top left-backs and their agents that Chelsea need someone for that position. The choice of Carlos is based on (1) he?s crap, so other top left-backs would feel confident to send in their agents, knowing they?re better and (2) he?d be cheap, so that would ward off any agent or club looking to make a kill. Now that Chelsea?s aim has been achieved, with better left-backs in the picture and in the market, the Roberto Carlos story has served its cause and can be discarded. But desperate journalist bent on sensationalism aren?t prepared to let go. Why didn?t they raise the issue of Carlos today with Kenyon or Mourinho, if they really think there?s mileage in it? Have Real Madrid ever stated in any forum that we made inquiries or bid for Carlos? There are some stories not worth discussing anymore and this Carlos story is one of them. We shouldn?t help them make fun of us by reacting believingly to every crap they say.