gojo_ed

In past seasons I always thought the sheer volume of games he had played was the reason for his inconsistency. Wasn't this summer basically his first ever summer off? However no excuses now. You can see what he could be, but there's something not there- the drive and power is just missing.

I guess we would have lost that a few weeks ago, nice to see Costa actually show some instinct around the area. One thing that bugs me- why is it we come to the area, and our only pass seems to be a little reverse through ball to Ivanovic? The midfielders need to step up and make a move, at the moment we are very easy to defend against.

Cech Ferreira JT Carvalho Gallas Makelele Lampard Essien Duff Drogba Robben I can dream!! Night all :)

This is it- what we're seeing is what we deserve, it's a series of gutless performances. Players in the Leicester team run their hearts out every week- good on them, our team should be embarrassed. Not sure if some players were satisfied by one league title, but (I know it's a cliché), if you stand still in sport, you go backwards. Drogba, Ballack, Lampard et al were ultimate professionals, never happy with what they'd won. We still have Terry of that mentality, but in the whole group I think the loss of Drogba and Cech has hit us bloody hard.

We absolutely are. We are so, so easy to play against at the moment. Watford and Sunderland at home next- usually you'd think 6 points in the bag. Watford are flying high and have Deeney and Ighalo, Allardyce will set up to stifle and get a result. We need some points, and fast.

Still more speed and guile than our midfield.

Loftus-Cheek gets frozen out for 1 poor half vs Villa (although I didn't see an awful lot wrong). Fabregas puts in a performance like that last week, and similar ones all season and his place is never in doubt. I know that in a winning team Cesc's creativity is a huge asset, but when we're struggling he is not only a passenger, but a liability. The double standards in the treatment of some players is poor management.

Top 4 isn't going to happen, top 6 is a long shot. Our situation now is to get away from the bottom 3 as quick as we can- if you'd told me I'd be saying that at the start of the season I would have laughed in your face. The only good thing that can come of this season is if we somehow put a run together, and pull away from danger by January. Then we can bed in RLC/Traore/A.N. Youngster with no pressure of chasing top 4 or escaping bottom 3. Pigs might fly.

It's a huge cliché, but really our youngsters can't do any worse at the moment. Hazard is buzzing around looking lively enough- but to what end product? 0 goals in the league and we're in December- that is an embarrassing return. Fabregas' travails are well documented. When we have a youth team that has won everything they can in the past few seasons, it is absolutely criminal that we don't give them more chances when our first team is failing, week in, week out.

Likewise. I really, really, wanted him to turn it around and show us he can build something. But jeez, we are in a relegation scrap as it stands.

Well done to Bournemouth. As for us, not sure what we do now. Even a week ago I wouldn't want José sacked- the players look toothless and don't give a sh*t. After this though...really a lot of it has to be José's fault- oft quoted definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Matic and Fabregas, week after week. Lack of creativity and penetration, week after week. Not sure I can watch a lot more of this season if we go out of the CL this week.

Costa's attitude is shocking.

Ha do recognise the username...didn't they mock you last season for being a pessimist, or was that one of the other Blues on RC?

Fair play to the lad, incredible story.

Apart from playing us at St James Park. Without fail they raise their game to beat us and then lose 3-0 to Sunderland the following week. Not bitter ha!

I propose we get rid of the month of November, and replace it with an alternative month

Exactly. We've seen it before with McEachran and now with Bamford. Although those 2 didn't/don't appear to have the same potential as RLC, but all the same barely got a look in on their respective loans. The only Premier League loan that has really worked out from memory is Sturridge to Bolton. Even with him, after his loan we gave him barely half a season shunted on the right wing, and he scored goals. After AVB went though, that was pretty much the end of his CFC career. Keep RLC here and play him!

Relief. Where on earth we would be without Willian this season, God only knows. The sh*t from Spurs, they bought his flight...

Against Dynamo Kiev we hit the woodwork twice and had a decent shout for a penalty turned down. West Ham we had a header cleared off the line by nanometres and a goal chalked off on a marginal offside call. Tonight we lose out out on penalties (a 'lottery' although José's record with us is 5 shootouts, 5 lost), and come across a keeper in inspired form. Lady Luck, you bloody well owe us. Free kick to deflect in off Mikel's arse in the last minute, trickiling over the line as Mignolet slips up. Please...

If we lose and José goes, the scousers won't shut up about it. Any win will do from here...

Agreed. Though look at the media sh*tstorm when he was dropped vs Villa. I think Hazard's confidence is at rock bottom and needs to be managed carefully. He's still young, and we know how good he is on his day. But 0 goals and it's almost the end of October? Pretty shocking numbers to be brutally honest.

Bang on. We're packing our defence with giants, yet still have conceded the most headers in the league. Pick full backs who might attack and it might even give Hazard and Fabregas space to exploit- madness!

I feel sorry for him, he's obviously a centre back with a huge future. A right back he most definitely isn't, uncomfortable on the ball and hesitant to attack. I don't understand the fear of having too many small players in our team. We have all these giants and we've let in the most headed goals out of anyone in the whole bloody league. Stop worrying about other teams, pick a left back and right back who might actually overlap with Hazard and it may actually open up all sorts of spaces for our attack.

It's a salient point. José obviously wasn't at all happy with our dealings over the summer. Not that I want to derail the thread, but whilst we've done well in terms of maximising the fees received for Mata/De Bruyne/Luiz/Lukaku/Schurrle etc, it looks like it might be harming us in the long run in terms of squad depth.