alan'82

Thanks for your reply dodojojo,you make some excellent points,I dont quite agree about the service to him being a problem though. If he's struggling with the service from players like Mata & Lampard, I honestly don't know how to improve on that. Isn't it a little bit reasonable to expect from a player of his class, a little adaption in his style of play to suit his new teammates?. A bit flippant I know,but if a new super rich club offered 40-45 million in january,would you take the cash?.

Sorry if I'm missing your point dodojojo,but if Torres style of play dosen't suit Spain,why is he a Spanish international in the first place?. If the more traditional style of centre forward play suits his game more,wouldn't he be more suited to the slower paced,technical game played in Italy?. If he had a great understanding with his Madrid teammates,what did they do that suits his game,but which Chelsea are failing to do? Torres has every right to earn as much money while he can,no problem about that whatsoever,but weren't Athletico skint when he left them?. The dippers had major finacial problems before the takeover so the wage offered & the length of contract might have been an issue?. I think he cares,but this slump IS a test of his character,J.T. & Lamps go through a sh*tstorm from the media,opposing fans etc week after week & just get on with it,even Cech with a plate in his head, puts his face where the boots are flying. I just think Nando needs look a little bit more at his own game & to be frank,pull his finger out!.

Please,please the F.A.,put the poppies on the shirt,just what the hell can those tossers do about it,(shame on them).

I don't really care about his pouty face or the colour of his hair to be honest. What intrests me is why he isn't playing well and what is HE going to do about it. We keep on hearing that the team isn't playing to his strengths but,with respect,even with a team like Barcelona he would struggle to score with the on/off effort he sometimes puts into matches. He HAS to make run after run,even if Maluoda & co fail to pick him out 9 times out of 10,because he won't score otherwise will he?. He's not exactly spain's golden boy either if the truth were told. If football & winning trophies is his main aim,why not return to spain?. But you make a good point about money,he's a millionare many times over,the Chelsea signing-on fee,plus the contract is in the bank,why would he have to give a toss about the way he plays?. Chelsea made a big investment in him & showed a lot of faith,he IS a great player,but it seams to me he's forgotten how he got that way in the first place.

You might be right about that Hutch,but I never really took to Micky Thomas either!.

Whatever you think of City & their new success,how can one man be allowed to crap over his own fans on their big day out in Europe with his own personal,(bullsh*t) agenda?. The man's a disgrace to anyone who ever dreamed of playing professional football when kicking a ball about the local field as a kid. Spend the time/money on finding a new Tevez who actually WANT'S to play for his club.

In all honesty,do you think Torres is still intersested in playing topflight football,with all the pressures that come with it?,sometimes his body language seams a bit off to me.

So is the general opinion that Torres isn't,(& may never be) the player of old and the player we hoped we were buying,but,in time will still be very usefull for Chelsea?.

I see manure have named a stand after Sir Alex,nice touch that and well deserved,however,it did take an exta 6 mins then normal to cut the ribbon!. Would have been a dream come true to have a career at Chelsea & have part of the ground named after me. Mind you,2 tickets for the 'get lost & good riddance you useless speccy twat' stand dosen't quite roll off the tongue!

When I got dragged down,(screaming) to see the spammers,they had a player called Alan Devonshire,he was quick & exciting to watch. Wish Chels had a player like him back then.

As Blackburn will surely threaten from free kicks/corners,2 center half's who are good in the air is a must I belive. J.T. and Ivanovic are the best two avaliable its seams,so for me, they should start together. Bossy will have to pull his finger out defensively. Midfield will be solid whatever the choice AVB makes,but Torres should start on the bench,(if at all),with Danny taking his place up front. Hopefully if Malouda is on his game,with Mata on fire at the mo,the pace up front should,(fingers crossed),make the difference. Come on lads!.

Went for Cech,he didn't have the best of games against the arse,but put in a good stint tonight & as captain too.

Considering the how the last couple of weeks have gone for the team/club/J.T,I don't think the way the game went was a total cock-up at all. They looked like a team low on confidence,& had all the luck to go that goes with it. The Genk goal took a deflection of ash's knee & on another night,Flo's shot would have gone in,(or that flukey clearence would have).At least we created chances. However that isn't covering up the problems. Don't know what AVB's personality is like,but I feel he has a couple of issues that he might be struggling to address with the players. Firstly,getting the squad to adapt to his ideas & putting in the required workrate/desire to implement them. And secondly,getting a full performance from his players for the entire length of the game,to many of the team seam to be playing at 'half throttle' & frankly,go missing for long periods of the games. Still,it is early for him & the players and when he manages to correct the problems,he'll be all the better for it. There is one question I'd like to ask; What the hell's happened to the art of heading a football??.

Does anyone remember the speed merchants of yesterday?. Those players who would tear down the wing & then often or not, cross into the stands?,(more often then not). The arse's Theo Walcott is as fast as a teflon turd,(& about as usefull),but,he is exciting when in full flow,what about the old Theo's of yesterday?. For me,step forward,Paul Canoville,Peter Rhodes-Brown,Jesper Gronkjaer & with respect,Clive Walker!. There are others,aren't there?.

Sorry moi for the late reply. Of course you make a good point about all types of thuggery,but the point I'm trying to get at is, in the context of football violence,it wasn't just 'mindless'. Maybe it's a male thing,but the need to defend 'your own' & to prove what you've got is very stong in us blokes,(mostly young),it may sound crass,(probably is),but can you understand that point?. Speaking on football terms,most of those firms wouldn't touch a 'civvie',it just wasn't the right thing to do,there were rules. If you wanted a ruck then,in most cases,you knew were to go. I can only tell you how I saw things at the time,I really did feel safer due to & not because of those guys,when going to away games because they looked after 'their own' . Honestly,some of the worst case's of thuggery & bullying I've witnessed at matches back then was carried out by the police!.Bullying,intimidation,you name it,(funny how they left the '6.4" built like a sh*thouse guy alone).I just can't imagine fans putting up with that crap nowdays & why should they?. Of course it got out of hand & in truth,was killing the game we all love,but unless you witnessed it first hand,it's very difficult to explain why it's so much more complicated than the term 'mindless' can cover.

My only real concern is RA presses the panic button,sack's Boas and we go back to square one. The fellow's GOT to have time to learn his trade,cock-ups will,(& have) happend,but he's a smart cookie & he'll learn from them.Mistakes make the best teachers. Just give him some time & paitence, please!.

I'd think they would prefer sweets to be honest!.

For christsake's mate,don't say that in this modern 'prawn sandwich' era,how will they cope! (just as well as we did, I suspect).

Mikel is a talented player,that's for sure,but, his major problem is the speed of his game. To many times has he been caught out in possesion,unable it seams, to decide where to pass the ball. In a league where the pace of the game is slower,he would be outstanding,but in the super high pace of the EPL,he can be got at & I suspect, most managers know it. Being a CDM isn't just about the pace of your game,it's also about how YOU read the game,knowing when & where to be to make a tackle,a dig in the ribs or if required,to make a foul. Maka was outstanding in this respect,his ability to read a game was sublime,unfortunatly for Mikel,(& us),he just isn't that type of player,(there's no shame in that,he's just not that type of player in the EPL).

Must admit to being a little bit supprised about the way we set up against the arse,because mostly, they are well known for being extremely good at the counter attack. I thought as a stickler for detail,AVB would have wanted a different defensive tactic?.

I can translate for you: She say's; We know your off to Chelsea next year but, dam it fella,how can you make that defense work, playing a high defensive line against such fast paced counter attacking teams like Arsenal?,are you lobbo?. AVB replies;(clapping),What the hell do you know,your just a bird!,now put the kettle on will you!.

Just for the record,it wasn't just 'mindless thuggery' back then. In fact,I've seen more of that nowdays in the local supermarket car park, then in those days. People today are so uptight,just to ready to explode!. Many clubs had a 'firm', a group of top boys who felt,for what ever reason,a connection & a reason to defend their club. I wasn't one of them,but let me make this clear,as a young fan,on his own,on away trips,I know that those guys looked after me. I thank them for that.

You make an excellent point dkw,couldn't agree more. Ref's ability aside,when did it become the norm & acceptible for players to dive/cheat so much?. Personally,even if it the situation were to happen to a CFC player in a Champions League final,where a dive would win a pen, I hope for all that's good in the game, that the player would keep on his feet. I'd rather win fair & well played, than not win at all.

Now that's what I call a top idea!,on Didier's wedge,that equal's the mother of all hangovers!.

Great read Dorset,you have a magical & involving way with words that's for sure,I wish I'd had an English teacher like you when I was at school,(he was rather busy popping out for a smoke & trying to pull the art teacher),if I had,maybe my grammer/spelling wouldn't be so sh*t!. Thing is though,HOW can we fix the (sub) standard of todays match officials?,weren't they supposed to improve when they went full time?.