Davey Baby

I disagree with you here. It wasn't a sentimental decision by the club. It was a cold hard business decision. Last season saw the most empty seats at SB since Roman arrived. I don't know if those seats were paid for or not, but they were empty, because there was a lot of apathy and a lot of disconnection between fans and club. Furthermore, Solanke had already decided to leave and he wasn't the only one. We were in real danger of losing a great crop of academy graduates, including Callum and Ruben. Instead we're tying them down one by one to long term deals. Frank's arrival also brings in a lot of goodwill to the club. Yes he has everything to prove as a coach, and a lot to learn as we have already seen, but he's a huge asset in terms of profile and reputation and in that context it's a highly sensible appointment. When you looked at the list of possible candidates he was pretty much the obvious choice.

Barkley had had a poor game but Frank subbed him just as he was beginning to play well. We were hanging on for a win, against a side that were dominating. He decides to bring on the unpredictable Batshuayi for his first outing, rather than the more reliable and experienced Giroud? It makes no sense. As for Kovacic, I'm sure he can get through 90 minutes, he's a fit young footballer. It's not like we'd had a game midweek either. There's plenty of time to rest after the game. Bringing Gilmour on in that situation was asking for trouble and so it proved.

Good post, particularly points 1 and 3, which I totally agree with. Lampard is a novice and he's up against managers who have earned their stripes and who are very good at their job. The signs so far are that he's out of his depth but hopefully that will improve, if we give him time, which I hope we do. Right now, along with Solksjaer, he's the least qualified coach in the Prem, and it shows. He was totally out-coached on Saturday, as he was by Rodgers. Early days but the signs are we're going to struggle, far more than people anticipate. I'll be very surprised if we finish top half, very surprised. This is the big boys' league. We've lost our best player by far, we no longer have that get-out-of-jail card, we're fielding a very young team and we have a rookie in the hot seat. This will be a test of everybody's patience, especially our owner's. Edit: I don't understand the last bit of your post, which I've put in bold. Perhaps you can elaborate.

Lampard said in his presser after the game that he simply gave Tomori the nod because he'd impressed in training, nothing to do with an injury to Christensen. It was a bad call, not because Tomori played badly, but because Christensen has been far more impressive than Zouma. It was an alarmingly poor call by Lampard and calls into question his judgement.

I consider you to be a good poster and a knowledgeable one but Ruben improved at Palace, where he got games. It's as simple as that. A young player can only develop if they play. He hardly played at Chelsea at all prior to his loan, hence any judgement prior to his loan was ridiculous on your part, for it was way too soon, given his inexperience and age. Totally ridiculous, and you weren't the only one. The PL is a massive step up. Like, huge. At Palace he played, and he grew. You can't expect a young player to be the full package immediately. We have to show a degree of understanding. Sarri has nothing to do with it. In fact he criminally underused Ruben, as he did Callum. Once Ruben started getting games last season, what happened? He impressed, big time. It's that simple. He needs games. All season long I said play him. I said play Callum. Many of us did. Sarri eventually saw sense but that didn't vindicate him, that vindicated us, the fans who were imploring him to play them. Sarri had absolutely no interest in youth, or nurturing, or the long-term interests of our club, like many before him, sadly. Finally we've got someone who does, and I'm bloody happy about it. I want to see the kids. This is a fantastic group of kids. I want them to get a chance, and I understand that there will be teething troubles, because they're babies. I'm not expecting anything in terms of league position or trophies. Let's just cherish watching them play. Let's just rejoice in it. Funny that you mention Kane. I don't expect Tammy to be as good as Kane for the simple reason that very few young strikers will prove that good, because Kane is one of the best in the world, but he was given a chance at Spurs, and nobody could have foreseen how good he'd be, given his start at Spurs and his initial loan, at Millwall. Nobody was talking about him as a future superstar. It isn't always obvious. What is obvious, is that young players need nurturing, and fans need to show patience before rushing to judgement. Tammy always had a chance. Those that wrote him off were being ridiculous, and infuriating. They show absolutely no understanding of the game.

I have no idea if Tammy will be good enough to be our front-line striker for years to come. What I do know however is that people have written him off prematurely, not just this season but for last season and the season before that as well. I have argued with these people, not because I necessarily believe Tammy will make it but because I know it's far too early to tell. He's 21. He has an incredible record in the Championship and he was prolific at youth level. He's got a chance. Lo and behold he has two goals this season in two PL starts. Playing under pressure as well, a whole new level of pressure. He won us the points on Saturday. Not bad. If you look back over the RLC thread you'll see so many posters writing off Ruben. It's incredible. He was captain of a youth team that swept all before them. He was easily our best youth player of that crop. He was clearly a special talent. People are so intolerant and impatient that they don't even afford a young player breaking through a period of adaptation. All we heard was that Ruben was lazy, or casual, or lacked stamina. We heard he wasn't good enough, time and time again. Go back and read that thread. It makes proper fools of people. They said he'll never make it here. Maybe, just maybe, the PL is tough, maybe, just maybe, it's a huge step up. Maybe, just maybe, a young player needs to find his feet. Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't be so quick to judge. We had people on here writing off Tomori because he didn't exactly dazzle in a pre-season game. It's completely ridiculous. By all means discuss their performances, but remember they're young and try and reserve judgement a little bit. With any luck we'll see Reece James, Tomori and Callum get significant minutes this season. Half our team could be academy graduates. We should all be bloody excited, and proud. Instead people won't even allow these kids a chance. It's embarrassing.

^ Looks like we may have just given Leicester some team news.

Fixed that for you kiddo.

Except Tbo never saved any pens for us, maybe one. Tbo a longer reach but it's harder for him to get down low. Kepa was very unlucky. He's far better at pens than Tbo.

Despite the performances of Dave and Kurt, which were poor, I still believe we were asking for trouble, the way they bypassed our midfield when we lost the ball. Edit: In fact It's been a theme throughout pre-season, no matter who's in defence. It's not just about our defenders.

I really don't think Utd won because of our mistakes. I think Utd won because whenever we lost the ball they were running straight at us. We had no protection. We were far too stretched. That's not mistakes, that's tactical. We will lose the ball every single game, every team does. It's about how you're set up. We were a little bit naive. Frank spoke a lot about mistakes being the reason we lost but I hope he doesn't really mean that. Individual mistakes were not the reason in my book. We were vulnerable throughout the game, whenever they won the ball.

Mane, Firminho and Salah running at our defence? It doesn't bear thinking about. Even if Kante is only 0.000000001% fit, he has to play.

We played well, especially first half, but we were always vulnerable in transition. They got the ball and bang, they were swarming all over us. We had absolutely nothing shielding the defence. It was a problem the entire pre-season and hopefully this is a wake up call for Frank. Away from home, we were way too open. It was easy for them to attack us. Right from the off. Performances, well our CBs are a concern. Rudiger walks into this team but one of the other three has to step up. Kante obviously walks back in too, for one of Jorginho or Kova. I feel Frank made a mistake with Barkley. He excelled at number 10 in the pre-season, our best player by far, he should have started there today, with Mount on the bench. I'm very surprised Mount got a start, though he looked confident. We're going to have to be patient. I really feel Callum will be the key player this season as he will give us an attacking edge. He obviously needs to sign that contract. The likes of Tammy, our CBs, Mason, Reece James when he comes in, Callum, Pulisic, we're all going to have to be very patient. We're on the start of a journey and it will take time but I'm fully signed up to the journey and I hope you all are too. We lack a commanding CB without Rudiger, we lack a top class striker but Tammy may grow into one, and we lack a midfield enforcer though I think Ethan will provide that next season. On another day the game could have gone differently but the scoreline may have done us a favour. I think it might focus everybody's minds. This is going to be a hard season and we mustn't be under any illusions. Our manager is a rookie, with only one year under his belt in the Championship. The same applies to his staff. The same applies to a few players, including Tammy and Mason today. Let's be realistic. Let's temper all our expectations. Let's embrace the journey we're on. Most importantly, have faith. Mourinho? I can't stand him. Think he took pleasure in watching us lose. He certainly has no loyalty towards Chelsea and he's going to delight in trying to apply as much pressure on us as possible. Frank is right to play the youth. Jose resents that because he's not a nurturing manager, Frank must learn to cut off all the noise. I've got a feeling most of it will be coming from Jose's mouth. Appointing Frank Lampard and playing all these kids is never going to be about the short-term. That's something Jose Mourinho will never understand. Onwards and upwards. Come on Chelsea.

Frank said Kante's fit but he'll have to assess if he's match-fit. This is Kante we're talking about, so important, and as we saw in Baku, if he's half-fit he walks into the team. I suspect he will start. Who does he make way for, Kovacic or Jorginho? I suspect it will be Jorginho. Rudiger I don't think will start. He's been out much longer. Think Frank will tread with caution for that one. Abraham will start up front. I'm convinced he's our best option and he will prove it over the course of the season. Kepa, Dave, Emerson, Christensen, Zouma, Kovacic, Kante, Barkley, Tammy, Pulisic, Pedro. We're almost certain to concede. I'd be happy with a 1-1.

Thank you kindly squire. Having seen Frank's (immaculate) press conference, and reading between the lines, I suspect Frank had a good look at Luiz in pre-season and wasn't entirely enamoured of his performances and/or his attitude. In his press conference, Frank said he had always appreciated honesty from his managers as a player, and he said he was honest and open with Luiz. This suggests to me that Frank was the initiator in all of this, though a poor attitude from Luiz may suggest he wasn't particularly keen on playing for Lampard. He told Luiz he wasn't convinced by him or he wasn't exactly what he wanted as a CB, and Luiz said fine, I'll go to Arsenal, and Frank said fine. It sounds like it was pretty amicable. The fact we only got £8m for a player of his pedigree suggests Frank was desperate to see him go, and he didn't care where. It rankles a bit but so long as Frank's happy I'm happy and I believe he's a lot happier without Luiz stinking up the joint.

Did anyone see his press conference? So impressive. He's got that steel in his eye. He talked up our squad. Imagine that. No whining about losing his best player, no whining about injuries, no whining about the transfer ban, he just talked us up, said he believes in this squad, said he's very happy with his squad and he expects big things. Jesus Christ what a f**king change.

Luckily for you nobody has ever stolen your content.

Well that's a pretty important weakness, if true, and that video hardly has any clips of him heading the ball. Christensen is also very weak in the air, so if they play together that could spell trouble.

Looks like he has a bit of the Billy Gallas about him. I was very much reminded of him watching that video, though obviously those are his best bits and they most come from the Championship. We can safely say he loves a tackle and he's fast. He also appears to be able to read the game.

I'm okay with it. He had to go in all probability, for the sake of morale, in order for Frank to maintain authority. Luiz is very close to Willian and Kenedy so that's another one to keep an eye on. They both appear to be moody players, so if they're not playing, they'll be sharing stories with Luiz. Frank will have to be on his toes. He needs total commitment. We've got two powerful rugged defenders in Zouma and Rudiger, and two more refined defenders in Christensen and Tomori, so my guess is that we'll have one of each as our CB pair, and we'll see a bit of rotation, particularly in the cup games. This is a very big chance for our young CBs to cement a spot. They'll be pleased to see the back of Luiz. With Luiz there I always felt it would be hard for Frank to drop him as it would cause problems, and therefore it was hard to see how any of the younger defenders could cement that first team spot. I think this is a smart move by Frank. Interestingly, we resisted selling Zouma to Everton, for big money, and we've also kept Tomori, so Frank may have had a hunch all along about Luiz. I'm very excited about this season, particularly with so many academy graduates. I don't hold out high hopes for silverware or a great PL campaign, but it's the start of a very exciting journey hopefully. So many youngsters in the squad who can build a bond with the club and the fans. Reece James, Tomori, Christensen, Mount, RLC, CHO and Abraham. That's 7 academy graduates who could all get significant game-time. It also sends a great message to our current academy crop, as they can finally see a pathway to the first team. I don't think there's any reason to be upset about this. Luiz was a character but he was high maintenance. I think it's the best thing we could have done. Do I think less of Luiz? Yes I do. He could have stayed, he could have supported the manager, he could have tried to impress, he could have fought for his place, he could have mentored the younger players, he could have been a good example, but it was all about him. Going to one of our rivals in these circumstances tells us a lot. I liked Luiz, I thought the positives outweighed the negatives, he's a big personality he's talented and he's a winner. Furthermore, I'm unconvinced by Christensen and the jury is very much out on Zouma and Tomori, but we'll never know if they don't get games, and at least now they're going to play, and that has me very excited. Frank will build a special atmosphere. With Luiz around that was impossible, so all in all this was the right decsion. He's well past his peak, he's never been a great defender and he's joining a group with a weaker mentality. We really needn't be too worried. It's not like we've sold them peak John Terry.

I just don't believe that. James is young and a rookie at this level and he's coming back from injury. He'll rotate at best. We're likely to play a lot of games. Edit: I guess what I'm saying is Dave will still be the go-to man at RB for the games that matter for a season more at least, though I have very high hopes for James.

Lo Celso looks like he's going to Spurs, as a replacement for Eriksen I imagine. Lo Celso's a top player.

I don't mind Zappa at all. He's really not that bad. In fact, going forward, he's a lot better than Dave. We'd be selling him in order to promote James, not because he's a bad player. He's a perfectly good back-up RB, that injects a bit of energy into the team. He's always given it his all and if he goes I wish him well.

Agitating for a move to Arsenal. Tut tut tut. Shame on you.

If David Luiz wants to go to Arsenal, shame on him. That's the first thing. We have a manager that loves Chelsea, we have a backroom staff that all love Chelsea, we're creating a culture of people playing for the shirt. We want undying love for Chelsea, and it's going to be fantastic, that's why we're all excited. No more Moratas no more Sarris no more any of them. Sadly it looks like Luoz falls into that category, despite professing his love for Chelsea. The slightest knock back and he wants out, rather than fighting for his spot. If so, ship him out. He's no good for us and he's no good for Frank. He's talented he has lots of positive qualities but he also has lots of negative ones. If he's focused and disciplined and committed and happy, you have a player, a flawed player, but a player. Strong, aggressive, passionate, good in the air good on the ground. He'll be an asset to Arsenal, by and large, until he gets a knock back, at which point you see the other side. Good riddance if true. Ashley Cole, Billy Gallas, Petr Cech etc etc. We always seem to get the better of any deals with Arsenal.