BlueBeard

Hope you've got a lot of time on your hands, coco, you're gonna have a f*ckin' long wait

OK, we played well first half, but I give the credit for that to the players who were obviously trying to restore some self respect rather than the manager. Watching MOTD last night, I actually saw Grant grinning when we scored our 3rd or 4th goal, as if he'd already forgotten about last weeks game. Well, I've got news for you Grant, you incompetent tosser - you and the JCL's may have forgotten it, but most of us older fans haven't! You humiliated us in the worst possible way, by f*cking up big-time against our most hated rivals in a Cup Final - for that I'll never forgive you, no matter what you do from now on. Some fans need to get things in perspective - thrashing a sub-standard Wet Spam is no great achievement, more of a players reaction to last weeks debacle. The recent poor results and pathetic performances can't be conveniently swept under the carpet after just one good result. Some people are already saying that they'll respect Grant more if we beat Olympiacos this week. Olympiacos???? They're the weakest team left in the competition and we struggled to get a draw against them in Athens - even if we win this Wednesday, it's no great achievement ffs! I only made this post in reply to Loz's challenge - so all you Grant supporters/apologists, don't bother answering my post - I don't care what you think, and no matter what you say or think you certainly won't change my mind about Grant. One more thing - I will never want Chelsea to fail! No matter who is manager, it's still my Chelsea. Grant is useless, but so were Blanchflower, Shellito, Hurst and Porterfield - I still went to most games home and away even when we were struggling in the old second division, so I'm hardly likely to want us to fail just because Abramovich has appointed his lap-dog. Chelsea come before any individuals, and always will.

Why bother? Even if we sign him, he won't get a game until he's about 25, and that will be in the Championship for some no mark team, having spent about four or five years out on loan at lower league clubs. Giuseppe, don't do it mate!

I agree Ferreira defends more than Belletti, but over the last couple of years he hasn't been very good at it. Some of his defensive headers have been laughable, or at least they would have been if he'd been playing for someone else. I know I criticise Paulo a fair bit, but I actually like the guy - I just wish he'd find the form he had when he first arrived at Chelsea. I only picked Belletti because of Ferreira's form - I'm still totally in the dark as to the potential of Ivanovic Well, the 4-3-3 has looked totally sh*t over the last couple of years - mainly because it's not really a 4-3-3, it's a tarted up 4-5-1. It's brought about our really boring style of play, I f*ckin' hate it! And I've never liked the so-called 'diamond' formation either - I like to see a pair of wingers running at and terrorising opposition defences. We just need to find a couple, that's all... And what's the point of having a pair of strikers like Drogba & Anelka if only one of them is picked? Unless of course they're drafted in to bring their expertise to the left-wing Same thing applied under Mourinho of course, he persisted in playing just the one up front and proceeded to send the entire stadium to sleep within ten minutes of kick-off. And it's not really a flat 4 across the middle - more like Mikel holding, Ballack playing more attacking, with the wingers steaming forward at every opportunity. If either winger was to ever stray into his own half I'd have him shot during the after match interview

I like your style, Tim!

Loz picks Ferreira, and Gem picks Lampard - this thread is full of surprises!

Good captains as good managers, hmmm...........I can only think of Terry Venables, Dave Mackay and Ruud Gullit...... But then you've got the likes of Danny Blanchflower, Bobby Moore, Ray Wilkins and Bryan Robson ................and the list is probably infinite Ron Harris could never have become a manager, though - he'd have scared the sh*t out of the players! Can you imagine the defensive training sessions??? "Right, this is how you tackle, you f*ckin' bunch of nancy boys!" I'd love it, how about giving it a go, Chopper?

I can't help feeling that you're a footballing mastermind, Liam Maybe we should take over at Chelsea as joint-managers?

Thats not a fair comparison, You Know her football abilities know no bounds, she used to run rings round us down Pultis Park and you always cried when she never let our side have rush goalie That's true, and she always nicked the jumper I'd put down as one of the goalposts, saying she didn't knit it just for me to lay it down in a pile of dog-sh*t Once again I must stress that I was never Mourinho's biggest fan, and indeed wasn't surprised or disappointed in the least when he left - just with his successor.

A lot of managers would like a squad like the one Grant inherited at Chelsea, too. I've just been on the phone to my 98-year old grandmother, and I reckon she'd have done just as good a job under the circumstances - probably better, I'm sure the players would at least respect her

I'd go for an attacking 4-4-2, with the full-backs frequently supporting the wingers. My initial line-up would be as below, but once I'd got started players would only get picked on current form, not on past reputation. .........................Cech Belletti.....Carvalho......JT/Alex*......Bridge SWP.........Ballack.....Mikel/Essien*...J.Cole ................Anelka......Drogba * = got to be honest, these two positions are very difficult to decide on, but if I were going on current form it would have to be Alex & Mikel. Also, if Ivanovic turns out to be any good at all, he'd replace Belletti I'd stick with these tactics, and only change the team if a player or players were off form. And I wouldn't worry about changing the system depending on the opposition, f*ck 'em, let 'em worry about us!

So what does this mean? Because Grant has admitted guilt for his appalling ineptness as a football manager are we all expected to fall to our knees and beg forgiveness for daring to criticise him? I respect the man for his honesty, but it doesn't change a thing - he's still totally incompetent at this level of management.

I agree, not everybody who disagrees with me talks sh*t - just you and a couple of others

Bloody hell, I like an optimist, Barn, but you beat the lot mate

I don't think it's so much a case that he "couldn't" get much much playing time, as "wouldn't" get much playing time. The way the team has been playing recently, common sense would normally prevail and one or two youngsters would be given a chance in the first team in an attempt to give the side a fresher approach. But this is Chelsea - we don't trust our youngsters enough to play them, we'd rather continue to pick some older players who are playing like a bunch of old women and/or don't appear to give a f*ck. I despair, I really do - why have we got a football academy??? No youngsters are ever going to get a chance in our first team all the while Abramovich is in charge of things - he'd much rather take a gamble by bringing second rate players in and hoping they adapt quickly

How the hell is he going to improve in the Championship? Mark my words, instead of being a future Chelsea star, he's gonna end up like Mikael Forssell & Carlton Cole, playing his football for some tupenny halfpenny team. They were always put out on loan to lower league clubs, and never improved as a result. How he can be put out on loan while Malouda is playing such sh*te football is an insult to Sinclair - this club is fast becoming a f*ckin' joke

There's a world of difference between voicing an opinion and spitting in someone's face. If you can't see that, well...... I was never Mourinho's biggest fan, but not because of his opinions - I actually agreed with most of what he came out with, even though it was taken grossly out of context in the UK press. Chelsea made so many enemies while Mourinho was in charge because of the way he was reported in the press, but most of those so-called enemies were more bitter about Roman's money than Jose's mouth. I didn't enjoy watching Chelsea play for the most part while Mourinho was in charge - even though we were very successful. And his transfer dealings weren't exactly brilliant either - that's always assuming that they were his dealings. If I really believed that Mourinho had a nasty side, I'd comment on that, but you're talking sh*t (again). Ken Bates - now he had a f*ckin' nasty side, and I hated him for it - he turned more people against Chelsea than Mourinho could have done in ten lifetimes!

Ask him again in a few weeks time, we will be by then Steve, thats it mate you spread the old optimism thing and we'll all just enjoy the rest of the season glad you still talk to me even though our opinions differ, the old Pultis Park crew are fading fast hope your in match chat saturday where I shall convince you to have a bit of leniancy with our manager if I have to come out and flush my kidneys through with you to do it Of course I still talk to you mate, even if you are a tad demented ......you've no chance of convincing me of leniency towards Grant, but we can still have a chat and a laugh I'll probably be in MatchChat at the weekend, though I won't be watching a stream - I meant what I said on Sunday, I can't stand to watch Chelsea with Grant in charge, we're insipid. Got to admit, we were nearly as bad to watch in Mourinho's last year at Chelsea, but at least we were still winning things. You'd think I'd be used to it by now - I went to every game, home and away, back in the 70's & early 80's, even when Blanchflower was manager, but of course we didn't have any expectations back then. We'd watched Sexton dismantle Docherty's Diamonds then f*ck off and leave us to relegation, we then watched Eddie Mac build the side up with mainly youth players and take us back up, only to be sacked over a triviality. Then we watched as Shellito, Blanchflower and then Hurst killed off whatever spirit was left at the club. It was only when Johnny Neal took over that we became a football club again. I honestly can't see a top manager wanting to come to Chelsea though - who would want to come to a club where the owner 'allegedly' picks the team and decides on new signings? That's why I'm terrified that Grant will stay - he's the only type of manager who'll put up with that sh*t from Abramovich because money seems to be more important to him than self-respect. Supporting Chelsea certainly ain't easy, but we don't have a choice in the matter. Many of us supported Chelsea long before the likes of Grant and Abramovich arrived at the Bridge, and we'll still be here when they've gone.

Ask him again in a few weeks time, we will be by then

God knows I want Grant to f*ck right off as far away from Chelsea Football Club as is physically possible, but I don't think replacing him with Rijkaard is the answer. The incident with Frisk was bad enough, but if you've got copies of Chelsea/Barca games on video or DVD, try watching Rijkaard's behaviour after the games. And you might be able to forget him spitting in the face of a fellow professional player (not once, but twice) but I won't - the man's a f*ckin' disgrace, and isn't fit to manage Chelsea.

I seem to remember it being sung for Charlie Cooke - about 30/35 years ago!

No particular order: - Five best Chelsea strikers in the Premiership? Gianfranco Zola (no explanation needed) Hernan Crespo (our best striker since Ossie - could have been a legend) Mark Hughes (110%er - hated him at Manure, loved him at Chelsea) Gianluca Vialli (world class striker) Didier Drogba (great player, shame he's such a w*nker) Five worst Chelsea strikers in the Premiership? Robert Fleck (say no more) Joe Allon (should have stayed in Hartlepool) Neil Shipperley (lots of promise, no end result) Paul Furlong (journeyman - and that's being kind) Mateja Kezman (very mixed up man, not good enough for CFC) and just bubbling under, pop-pickers.... Tony Cascarino (his only success was scoring a hat-trick at WHL in some no-mark pre-season competition) Mick Harford (hardly the classiest striker around, but he scared the crap out of defenders) Chris Sutton (bought because of his great strength in the air, and then played in a team which didn't employ wingers, or indeed anyone who could cross a ball for him) Unluckiest strikers? Pierluigi Casiraghi (I reckon he'd have been a top, top player for us if not for his horrendous injury) Mikael Forssell (if he'd been given more chances in the first team instead of being continually loaned out he could have been a top player) Carlton Cole (see Forssell)

The only alternative to trying out the youth players in the first team is to continue buying in players. And as we all know, buying in even very good or big 'name' players doesn't always mean they'll turn out to be good players for Chelsea. So far as I can see, buying in 'name' players is just as big a gamble as bringing in youngsters from the youth side. I wouldn't advocate sticking in half a dozen youth players at once, just draft them in as and when they deserve the chance - especially if the first team players aren't on form (like now, for instance). Another positive of doing this would be the financial side - we'd save a fortune on exhorbitant transfer fees - and it would also earn the club some respect, rather than just have a reputation for buying success. We also have to concede that if Chelsea carry on the way they're going at the moment, and with so many people behind the scenes interfering in team affairs, just how many top players would want to come to Stamford Bridge? The only ones who'd be arriving would be the ones chasing the dollars, not the ones hungry for success.

I'd love to see some youngsters be given a chance - let's face it, they could hardly play worse than the first team has been recently. And if, like you say, it meant that we hovered around 4th. place for a few years, so be it - I'd find it far more satisfying watching keen young Chelsea youth players on the pitch than some of the overpaid prima donnas we've got at the moment. And it would pay off big time in the long run. No chance of this ever happening with Grant in charge though, just as there'd have been no chance of it ever happening with Mourinho in charge. And dare I say it, I don't think it'll ever happen while Abramovich is at Chelsea. I believe he has a big say in team selection, and he appears to want a football version of the Harlem Globetrotters rather than seeing youth players coming through. I know our academy has been greatly improved, but maybe that's an investment? Get some good young players coming through the system, then sell them off? I sincerely hope not. We need a good manager who has the balls to take a chance with young players.....and we need Abramovich to have the sense to let the new manager get on with it without interruption.

F*ck, I couldn't go through that again - once was far more than any fan deserves