DoubleHelix74

And on top of that, look at their ages! Does that group even have an average age of 24? This would shut all those critics up about how we are old and in the way... Especially with scum still playing Giggs, Scholes, and that traffic cone Ferdinand who spends more time on Twitter telling people what he's eaten for breakfast than he does playing out on the pitch and let's not forget Evra who I think is 34!

Excellent news... Cech is one of the best in the world and its great to see we have him locked up in his prime years...

Agreed, in fact I would like to see a few go together to let's say Bolton down in the Championship... Owen is fantastic with youth and having Josh and maybe Piazon playing together with a Lee or Holden (if they stay) and I think Kevin Davies has a lot of attributes that could be a positive influence. Having Piazon and Josh or whoever playing together would only he an asset for us later. Plus after nicking Cahill, we should give them something. I like Bolton and are my second favorite club in England. It was a heartache watching them struggle with injuries this season! If they avoided those injuries there is no doubt in my mind they would place in the top ten and play probably just as well as Liverpool...

I don't think its too much of a stretch to have all four rotate the three spots. Obviously, Cahill and Terry are never going to play out on the right but clearly Ivanovich could do both and I too would like to see Luiz tried out there. If you keep all four and maybe add a Van Der Weil (sp?, sorry) to the fold or even have Kane get some time on the pitch, plus Cole and Betrand out left and we will be very fresh for the 70+ matches we have coming up next year... I am just afraid we may run into the injury plight, like we did this season and Mata, Hazard, and possibly Hulk are not known for their defense so... For me the more options the better...

How glorious would it be to hear that song played over the PA at Stamford Bridge when Hazard, Mata, Hulk, Torres, and Rami are all in the corner celebrating yet another picture perfect goal with the supporters erupting with cheer! Alright, that bit of visual has left me a bit too excited, I'm off to get something accomplished today. Will check back periodically on the mobile...

God no! That was beyond the known scope of ridiculousness... We're still within the scope with this one...

Only if you sing along with Waylon Jennings... "Just good ol' boys Wouldn't change if they could Fightin' the system like a true modern day Robin Hood..."

That's great! Thanks for the laugh

United does now and has had stability in the past but the future is a bit uncertain. Ferguson has two, maybe three seasons left and then what... As good as they have been, they've already crested and now are on the downslope...

Is it common to make two major announcements for a club in the same day? Here in the States they almost never do because they do not want to upstage one another. Also in the land of the almighty dollar, the thinking is why have a "big news" day when we can have two in one week and make it a "big news" week and get more bang for the buck.

And let's not forget Rooney is really a false no. 9 and is at his best when he is able to roam, so Hazard won't exactly get that position either...

Let's see... Monumental collapse down the backstretch of the season, eliminated from Champions League Football even though scraping the will together to pull into the 4th spot. Eliminated by a London rival in Chelsea... And now probably going to not only lose his two best players but possibly a few more as well...

Obviously, you didn't read what I wrote thoroughly and/or perhaps just chose what you wanted to hear... It's not the "having an opinion" issue, it is the connotation that you take up... It's arrogant! Listen I really don't care one way or another, I haven't been on here that long myself. However with that said, I can tell you that I have seen a few members act in the style of how you are acting and are no longer here... Either way, I am just going to have you on ignore!

I agree... I like Kagawa and certainly having a Japanese player would pay dividends for the club and myself (the wife is from Japan and would be a lock to watch Chelsea week in and week out if we had a player from Japan) but we really have no use for him. Unless he was willing to drop back but even then we have Lamps/Ramires there. While cheap, Kagawa doesn't fit our needs.

Love that last paragraph... I know the sport and all other sports throw money around like they're playing Monopoly but if we just stop and think about how much £10 really is!?! I could retire on that and live an extremely (well deserved, mind you) pleasant lifestyle!

I hope not because I want the pair too and feel I am not a greedy person. ;-)

No offense mate but you've been on here for all of two days now and seem to be clashing with everyone... Now, I am all for different opinions and theories and enjoy reading them on here, however with that said the mannerism you choose do seem to come off as condescending, brash, and arrogant... Just my .02!

So you are basing Pep's skill set on the two matches with Chelsea in the semi-finals this year? Sorry, you are normally spot on Chippy and I agree with more of what you post than what you don't but this time I have to disagree... The guy was a winner as a player and a winner as a coach and has the abundance of trophies/medals to show for it. I hope we stick with RDM but some of the posts on here about Pep are a bit mad. He is one of the greatest coaches in the game today, period! I don't care if he has Messi/Xavi/Iniesta or Pele and Maradona on his squad, he knows the game well. I mentioned earlier that he does not stray tactically because of the personnel he has and if at chelsea he would have that ability with our squad. At Barca they are all clones cut from the same mold, great as they are, we all know they play only one style! I think part of Pep wanting to leave Barca is because he no longer wants to be pigeon-holed, hence his comments about new challenges. I also think that the "time off" bit was so he could leave Barca alive! I am not going to psycho analyze the man but he has the tools to be a great manager in the history of the sport and is pretty good currently so... If he came to Chelsea, it would be bittersweet because that means RDM doesn't get what he deserves but at the same time I would be quite excited to see what Pep can offer himself and Chelsea. However, RDM has been excellent and was good at West Brom too. He may be just as good if not better than Pep? He could be our Ferguson possibly? Who knows?!

While I see the point you've made, I think Pep didn't change much because Barca is fairly one dimensional. Of course that single dimension is superb but what I am saying is pretty much all the players on Barca are the same. I could never see them switch gears and become more defensive (like a Chelsea and/or United) because they don't have the squad to do it. If Pep had a more diverse squad, very much like Chelsea's than he would have that ability and I think he would use it in a maximum capacity. I still like RDM but if Pep was available it be tough to look the other way and we know RA's desire to have a guy at the helm who is young and a winner. Hope RDM gets his crack though, he deserves it!

Hazard can! A man can dream right?

I can see Wenger step in to make an offer... Thing with Kagawa is that he only speaks about United and having the desire to play there. It is a no brainer that he has the quality but I think other clubs are not stepping up due to his apparent stance on only playing for United. Love to see him at Chelsea though, especially for that low price.

While confident, perhaps too much, the guy has marketed himself like Apple Computer does its products! I think Chelsea is the best fit for him but I am not so sure Hazard is the best for Chelsea. Great talent but here is why: Too much money, would rather spend that money on a Modric, or another creative midfield with vision that would be more helpful to us. If we need a player on the wing, there are a number of them like Honda, or Dempsey (to name a few) for much cheaper. If City land Hazard, we hopefully would pursue Adam Johnson for half of what Hazard will cost. I just think we can find so many better buys than Hazard and Hulk! Not taking away their abilities by any means but it cost what 70-85M if we are lucky for them two. We can spend 85M, land Modric, Honda or Dempsey and still bolster the RB position with maybe a Vander Wiel (sp?)... Not saying these are the guys but let's lock in a few good players who are not demanding high wages! Still want to see Kakuta, Piazon, and some of the others get some playing time or at least loaned out in Piazon's case, though I think he could slip himself in our lineup already. With the amount of games we have next year, it be wise to carry a big squad than put all the money into two players, like Lucas, Neymar, Hazard, and/or Hulk...

That's like the NY Yankees, they have 1,3,4,5,7,8,8,9,10,15 plus Joe Torre and Derek Jeter who will have 6&2 retired soon enough. And that's just low digit numbers! Edmonton Oilers should have at least 15 numbers retired too and that's really from one team (to this day the most dominant sports franchise in history of sports, imo)... I say No on retiring number 11, give it to Lukaku!

Haha, great one-two there! Maybe in a decade, a statue of all three celebrating or something... I don't know and frankly don't care much. They're all legends in my mind and I don't need something in bronze to remind me. I have the memories embedded forever in my mind...

Thanks for the insight on the star... I thought Bayern's 4 stars were for its European titles... Either way, wear it one year, along with the patch, and then retire it until 2013-2014 when we sow another into the shirt! Will Chelsea sell a shirt with CL Winners patch along with the star? Want to order a shirt but don't want to do it prematurely.