BlueBeard

Great post, c3blu, totally agree I wouldn't let qaz wind you up too much mate - he's posted his opinion on this subject on just about every thread on the site, which suggests a degree of desperation for people to agree with him. Qaz, stop smoking those wallaby's and break out the valium mate!

To be fair, I think he learnt that from Mourinho

Steve Earle has done some great stuff over the years - my fave albums of his are "Train A Comin'" and "Copperhead Road".

I posted this elsewhere, but what the hell. If Grant stays till the end of the season, I believe we'll struggle to stay in the top six. I also think we won't reach the next stage of the CL, and can't foresee any success in the cups. Our season is effectively over, we've been playing crap since day one of the season. Mourinho must have known that Grant had been brought in to replace him, so you can imagine the oppressive atmosphere behind the scenes at the Bridge. And anyone who says Grant isn't to blame - do you really believe he didn't know he was Mourinho's replacement? Abramovich brought him in, and he lurked around in the background until it was time to take over. The man's a snake.

I know Jack is as big a Chelsea fan as anyone else on this site, as am I. I agreed with Jack's post totally. Although I was never one of Mourinho's biggest fans, I think the way his authority was undermined by Abramovich was a disgrace - and the press conference was highly embarrassing. My take on Jack's 'hope we lose' comment is that a heavy defeat would show Abramovich just how much he'd f*cked up by getting rid of Jose (and replacing him with a nobody). And in that, I agreed - Abramovich is surrounded by 'yes' men, and needs to see for himself what he's doing to Chelsea. I went to my first game 40 years ago, and have followed Chelsea all over the country for many years, attending hundreds of games, including the sh*te years (and there were a lot of them) - so anyone who doubts my allegiance to Chelsea can kiss my arse

I'm seriously considering spending a couple of days in the country - Tring in Hertfordshire is supposed to be nice this time of year

I'm still bloody angry at the sacking of Ruud Gullit. I reckon his team would've gone on to win the league and maybe more if he'd been allowed to stay.

I tend to agree with Callista on this (well, there's a first time for everything ). While I wouldn't say that he's been a disgrace, John Terry hasn't been performing well this season, something I put down to his always insisting on returning from injury too quickly. If it isn't affecting him now, it will do, these things tend to catch up with you. As his manager, Mourinho had every right to tackle JT about his recent performances. And considering the amount of injuries JT's picked up in the last year, surely checking with the medical staff about his fitness would be the logical thing to do? Are we now in a position where John Terry cannot be criticised at all, not even by his manager? If Abramovich is going to take the players' side in any disputes with a manager, then what kind of manager is going to accept that and come to Chelsea? Add to that the rumours of meddling in team selection and tactics, and we're in for a very rocky ride. I suspect that Avram Grant is prepared to put up with all this crap, and be Roman's puppet - if so, I'll have even less respect for him than I already do. Bear in mind though, that all this is on the assumption that these reports are true - not something I'd like to put money on! However, what is true is that the whole club has become a total shambles and a laughing stock - the press conference the other day confirmed that. With Grant in charge, I can foresee Chelsea finishing between 6th. and 12th. this season, and not reaching the next stages of the CL. I truly hope I'm wrong, and Grant proves to be the next Cloughie, but somehow I just can't see it.

I admire your restraint, Geezer - I'd have set about them much earlier. If you need a character reference from a fine upstanding pillar of the community such as myself, just say the word

I don't agree. It's like a Christian manager or player saying they refuse to have anything to do with games over the Christmas or Easter periods - and it's not that long ago that we were still playing games on Christmas and Good Friday mornings. F*ck his religious beliefs, he's employed to manage Chelsea and if he's not prepared give 100% then he should f*ck off. Even leaving the religion to one side, it's the principal of the thing

Great post - I agree with all of that, and you've summed up exactly how I feel, too.

I believe that anyone who takes their religion so seriously that it interferes with their job shouldn't be in that job in the first place. For somebody in such a high profile position as Grant finds himself, either his religion should be kept in the background, or he should put his religion first and leave the job. Again, I'm not being anti-semetic - I'd feel exactly the same way no matter what religion Grant was. As I said before, I've got no respect for any organised religion - for me, Chelsea is far more important than any man-made belief system, and it would be nice if the manager of the club felt the same - but he clearly doesn't, and is willing to let it interfere with his management.

Nothing new to report - just Kenyon and Buck lying through their teeth, as you'd expect.

Whilst I heartily agree that the fat w*nker in scouseland is a total c*nt, I found it very strange listening to all the tributes on the radio. You normally only get that kind of thing when someone's died, whereas Mourinho is fit and ready to take on another management job whenever he likes, and is about ?16m better off than he was yesterday

Sorry, but I totally disagree with that. It's not like someone's holding a gun to his head and making him follow his religion. He's got freedom of choice like the rest of us - his choice is to follow his religion, and the fact that he considers that to be more important than his job, it just goes to show he has no respect for the club or the fans. It shows that he has more respect for his religion's most important holiday than he does for a day of training (albeit one of our most important training days of the year). That's not exactly the same thing as having respect for the club or the fans. It definitely says something about his priorities, and you're completely free to dislike what it says, but don't go overboard. What do you mean "don't go overboard"???? I made a simple point - if you don't like that, that's f*ckin' tough

Sorry, but I totally disagree with that. It's not like someone's holding a gun to his head and making him follow his religion. He's got freedom of choice like the rest of us - his choice is to follow his religion, and the fact that he considers that to be more important than his job, it just goes to show he has no respect for the club or the fans.

This ones not really his fault though is it So if we were playing Manure tomorrow, you'd be OK with the manager having nothing to do with the game because of religion? Well i can only judge it by my self, im fasting and will be doing nothing else so i wouldnt expect him to either, for some people there are some things that come before football I realise that some people put religion before other things, that's their decision. To do this within days of taking charge of one of the world's biggest football teams is f*ckin' ridiculous though - and to make matter worse, being Jewish, Abramovich obviously knew about it and therefore condones it. The current Chelsea situation just gets worse and worse Oh, and please don't anyone accuse me of anti-semetism - I've got equal contempt for all organised religions.

This ones not really his fault though is it So if we were playing Manure tomorrow, you'd be OK with the manager having nothing to do with the game because of religion?

Nothing wrong with AFC Wimbledon!

Agree with that totally - although I prefer Abramovich to Ken Bates - hell, I prefer my ex-mother-in-law to Ken Bates

I'd have to go along with the Ruud Gullit vote - best football Chelsea ever played was during his reign. And if Gullit had been allowed to stay, who knows what we'd have achieved with that team? Vialli got some success with Ruud's team, but I believe Ruud would have done significantly more. And Gullit was extremely good in the transfer market, everyone wanted to play for him. Thanks a bunch, Bates, you ignorant tw*t! Never gonna happen though - we'll probably end up with Hiddink, Lippi, Capello, Klinsmann or Ramos - all big names, but none with any experience of English football. I wouldn't want any of 'em - bring back Ruud!

I was a Mitcham boy, but I used to go to Tooting occasionally for a bit of glamour Apart from the Mitre, I used to get in the Fountain, Trafalgar, Castle, Horse & Groom & Railway Bell. Also used to drink in Croydon, Streatham, Sutton, Carshalton, Morden, Wimbledon, Colliers Wood, Battersea, Wandsworth & Fulham, plus of course, the obligatory pub crawl of the West End now and then - but most of the time I stayed in Mitcham - there were 29 pubs there back in those days! My first job was on the Willow Lane Ind Estate - ?16.60pw- the only other times I went to Mitcham was for the Footie and the Chippy on the Green apart from a few involuntary visits to the nick on Amen Corner. When I first met my wife she lived on Spencer Road I worked over the Willow Lane estate too, back in the early 80's. Also made an involuntary visit to Tooting nick I watched Tooting & Mitcham quite a few times in the 70's, when they were still at Sandy Lane. Naturally I was at the Palarse cup game where there was fun and games over Figges Marsh and the Victoria Road cemetary

I was a Mitcham boy, but I used to go to Tooting occasionally for a bit of glamour Apart from the Mitre, I used to get in the Fountain, Trafalgar, Castle, Horse & Groom & Railway Bell. Also used to drink in Croydon, Streatham, Sutton, Carshalton, Morden, Wimbledon, Colliers Wood, Battersea, Wandsworth & Fulham, plus of course, the obligatory pub crawl of the West End now and then - but most of the time I stayed in Mitcham - there were 29 pubs there back in those days!

Kev, I can help out with Joe Tex and The Ohio Players

"Twins Of Evil" was indeed a classic. The 'twins' were played by actual twins - Mary and Madeleine Collinson. Maybe that's where the confusion comes in? Madeleine Smith appeared in "The Vampire Lovers" and "Taste The Blood Of Dracula".