bjd

Hazard for me, then Cech

Ryan Bertrand will be happy to hear that

The ultras tag is laughable, but sections of their fanbase have gone to great lengths to setup an organised singing area and promote a good atmosphere home and away. It's come a long way and you've got to give them credit for that. I think they will be loud tomorrow. Proves something can be done if you try.

Yep, the Palace fans will put us to shame tommorow, will prob be the loudest away support we get domestically this season. How times change.

Thought you may be interested. For those of us in the UK anyway. Might watch it for the first time!

Is that what Torres is doing ? Do you know that for sure ? Id suspect its just that no one has shown any interest in him! He would be entitled to do that of course, but if the club had accepted an offer for him and he refused to go, well we are heading into Malouda territory here.

You could also nominate our run to the final in 2008 as well. And bar the semi final second leg we were pretty terrible in of those most matches too.

These days that pretty much means nothing, apart from the fact the longer that is left on his contract the more money we'll get. If someone offers a decent wedge for him and the club seem interested in selling, he'll be gone, no 2 ways about it.

Exactly. The fact a player is cup tied should not be a discouragement if its player we are looking to sign on a long contract and more fool the idiots at our club if they choose not to sign a player because of this. Its just so ridiculously short sighted, but yet so Chelsea.... Being cup tied should only be an issue if its a loan player, but not a full signing. Bear in mind when it comes to the CL its only possibly 2 games we are talking about anyway.

It would be infuritating if we dance to this silly tune again. It was never going to happen and more fool the club (and Jose) if they ever though it was a goer. It went on for about 6 weeks too long in the Summer and we shouldve been focusing on other, more realistic targets. Hopefully the club have learnt the lesson - that this transfer is never going to happen.

Easiest possible team there is please. I dont want Drogba anyone near this team. Imagine him at corners and set plays

Its always Ivanovic. Id love to see the stats of how much possesion each Chelsea player has had this season, especially at SB. Surely he'd piss it. When a team sits deep its the same old story. The defence and midfield take a eternity to get the ball forward to Hazard,Oscar etc in which time the opposition has had ample time to line in 2 banks of 4/read the daily news and so the ball invarably ends up with the spare man, and the man the opposiion are most happy to let have the ball and back off from. Step up Ivanovic. He gets the ball and then we get the whipped cross to no-one. Repeat to fade.

I agree, i think the MKD is the worst of the lot, actually boarding on insulting. I have a AFC supporting friend who would faint if they saw that. Its amazing how many of these scarfs are prominent in the stalls outside games these days, worst of all its amazing how many people buy them.

Yes, yes and yes. It's what I've been banging on about all season, boring people to tears now I think. It's all about the midfield. Last night was a textbook example and anyone who thinks signing a £200 billion striker is the only solution to our issues needs to watch lasts night match again. It was painfully slow and pedestrian, JOM in particular.

And so our easiest and strangest champions league group stage comes to a close. We did what was required but it wasn't a lot of fun - just so slow. If anyone questions why we need to urgently inject some fresh blood into our midfield they just need to watch that 90 mins. Utterley pedestrian.

I doubt Torres will play tonight

Which is pretty much what i said too. However you have yet again ignored everything else ive said and chosen to carry on as if ive posted nothing that tries to educate you on why there is a section of our support that has Rangers as a second team and how that isnt based on polictical crap. Im done trying to discuss this with you now, youre just not interested and you ignore what i say so its pointless! ps: never heard of the Liverpool/Rangers 'link' - always thought it was Liverpool/Celtic to be honest. Not that i care.

Either way , are we not allowed to debate whats going on ? wrong or right?!kind of limits the forum really. i also hate it when people get old school, 'you dont know how lucky you are' etc - not that you did i should add. Times change. I dont think theres any doubt expectation levels have risen this past decade, some of our newer fans are perhaps spolit because theyve only known the 'good times'. Personally id call them lucky more than anything! They never got to see Gareth Hall or Les Fridge!

i dont see anyone actiing like spoilt children here. There a few legitimate concerns at the moment, and i think everyone has a right to voice them. I think that they are being debated in a measured manner on this thread, which is entirely the point of having a forum. It wouldnt be as much fun if everyone was as happy as Larry and or everyone was gushingly grateful about life in 2013 because they recall losing 6-0 to Rotherham etc!!! Blimey if you thnk this thread is spoilt, you may want to check out the clusterf**k that is a matchday thread when the team arent winning 2-0 by halftime.

Is there an allegience ? Ive never said there was. Certainly any Rangers fans ive met dont see it that way. Ive simply stated that many Chelsea fans of a certain age have a soft spot for Rangers and thats pretty much that and where im coming from, there is utterley no link to any politics from my point of view (and plenty of others too). I cant emphasise this enough though it doesnt seem to be registering with the guy above. As for Linfield ? Well yes, any link is utterly poltically motivated and the 3 badges together thing is best steered clear of. One for the clueless sheep who probably salute Jason Mariner as a legend. If Rangers were to play Chelsea in the CL ? I would passionatley support Chelsea as i always do, and like i did in 2007. But i would welcome the occasion , as it would be fascinating to see the 2 teams play in a competitive match. Certainly there would be a element of support that woud use it as an excuse to wheel out their nonsense but the majority would welcome the game i think (not least cause we'd win!)

Again youve made no attempt to address my comments aimed at balancing out your generalisations so at this stage we should head our seperate ways as any hope of balanced discussion seems to be beyond you. Fair enough, though i maintain its a little unfair to tar all with a (admittedly very toxic) brush.

Yes it certainly is. However one swallow doesnt make a Summer. You dont seem to have addressed any of the points i made aimed at balancing out the issue so if you want to believe he speaks for the majority thats up to you.

Thats cool. We get threads like this every now and then, as you can see from the links. They follow a similar pattern. Someone asks whats all this about a CFC/RFC link and then it often goes into a 'there is no link its just secretarian nonsense'. I like to try and put it straight as thats clearly not the full case, and a little unfair, perhaps even a little uneducated, as theres more to it than that and i dont like myself and others being tarred with a certain brush. I fully understand why some fans would query the link though, it must seem bizarre. Its a mix of a few things, but for me and i suspect the majority of others it was just from being a product of being born in a certain time and place and doing what you could to fit in with other Chelsea fans.

I look out for Rangers, im not an active supporter. Thats how its always been. Ive been to Ibrox twice, once for the friendly in 07, the other time for a SPL game in 2011, against Hibs. Both times ive been staggered with the passion up there, but it still doesnt come close to my passion for Chelsea. Ill watch them on tv and be happy for them when they win but it doesnt dictate my life in any way shape or form. Chelsea are my football team, if they lose im gutted and, like you my day suffers. If Rangers lose it doesnt mean a whole lot to me, i just want them to win, like you always do a second team. Cant really be more blunt than that.

I said there is a link between some of the supporters, not the actual clubs. A difference. The fact that you say its vile i assume suggests you are referencing potential political links. Thats fine (and undeniable) but also a little offensive to someone such as myself who does not care one iota about these links. Myself and many other Chelsea fans who 'follow' Rangers do so because we were bnought up in an era when most other Chelsea fans you knew had Rangers as their second team, at least thats how it was for me as a kid at school in South London - I think as time has moved on now this isnt the case, but back in the 80s it certainly was very prominent. So, like i said the orginal link between the two sets of fans may well have right wing political leanings. But the first link Tallchris posted may well be worth a read for you, as it goes into much more details. But as a kid at junior school i wouldnt know (or care) about politics, and niether did all my fellow supporting friend (i still dont!). I would suggest this goes for the majority of young Chelsea fans back then. You supported Chelsea and Rangers were your second team, i grew up with it like that. I honestly couldnt give a toss about any right wing sh*te and get a little insulted when people suggest that its all politucal or as you say 'vile'. I have no desire to be lumped in with that. I understand newer fans or fans who didnt grow up in London questioningly the link (again,between the fans, not the clubs) but i can assure you its valid and if there is any football team who deserves its own section on a Chelsea forum its without question, Rangers. If you dont like it thats fine, i would advise ignoring it.