mclovin83

You do realise that Jorginho hasn't started every game right? He was also subbed off on 70 minutes in the last game. Kante hasn't replaced him on any of these occasions. Hope this helps.

I am truly devastated by this news.

Bore off

What action do you wish the club had taken then, instead of signing Higuaín on loan? As for Sarri "over running the club", I think that's a very strange way to look at it! Obviously Sarri is going to prioritise this season over future seasons. He would be mad not to as Chelsea Manager. No other Manager would be any different. But as it's a 6 month loan deal, I don't really see how that will have a negative effect over any potential targets in the summer.

Any chance of this being postponed due to the snow?

Agree. I think the urgency on bringing in a new striker will inevitably depend on how well Higuaín performs this season though. If he looks the part, then the club can afford to bind their time and not panic buy, but if he never gets going then we are going to be back to square one.

To be fair, Morata was supposed to be a long term solution. He started off looking like he could be too. The club invested heavily in a position we needed to strengthen and we got pretty much the best available at the time. Ultimately, that is the failed signing that has got us where we are now. Higuaín is short term solution, but a necessary one.

Yeah I think it might just be BBC & BT Sport. BT Sport with the Sunday 4.30pm game and the Monday night game. So that would mean the 6pm Sunday game is fairly likely. Unless BBC show it at lunch time on Sunday, which I also think is one of their slots? I wouldn't normally care this much but I have plans on Sunday which need moving, but need to know when the game is before I can begin negotiations with the wife!

Not sure actually. I think BBC get first pick (which will obviously be this game), so that could be a factor. I am not sure who has what slots and if there is flexibility on that...?

6pm Sunday, or Monday night would make most logical sense given that we are away in Europe on the Thursday prior, but as others have said, I just get the feeling it will be the 4.30pm slot on the Sunday (which will get the biggest all important global audience).

Torres. By some distance. Pretty sure all stats will back this up. He came with bigger expectations, the fee was higher (in relative terms), and we persevered for far longer. All in all much more painful. Yes Torres had a couple of iconic moments, but romance can't be a factor if we are comparing objectively.

Or Friday night?!

Do you know when the televised fixtures will be announced? We are away at Malmo on the Thursday prior to the FA Cup weekend, and then home the Malmo the following Thursday, so logically you would think the Monday night slot would be given to us to accommodate the travel time after the first Thursday night fixture. It will obviously be televised though, and I have a feeling it will get the 4.30pm slot on Sunday for maximum exposure around the world...

With us playing Malmo on the Thursday, we are almost certainly going to play United on the Sunday I presume?

How is he holding anyone to ransom? He has handed in a transfer request; in the meantime he is clearly still working hard, being selected, and scoring goals. Now if he went missing (like Courtois did), then that would be a different story.

It looks like people are desperate for someone to blame in this scenario, but I don't really see it like that. It's just an unfortunate (and pretty rare situation) in that the player seemingly wants to leave Chelsea. Does that make CHO a snake? No. He just wants to leave. Is it the clubs fault? Not for me. He has been grown and nurtured by the club, and there is a contract offer on the table which most 18 year olds would consider a statement of intent alone at a club like Chelsea. Is it Sarri's fault? Again, not for me. We would all like to have seen him play for in the first half of the season, but he has just turned 18 and is literally breaking into the first team in front of everyone's eyes. He is now getting a respectable amount of minutes, and there is every reason to believe that if he is good enough he will take a starting place. When you consider that Hazard is likely to leave in the summer, and Pedro & Willian are in the final stages of their career, there is even more reason for him to believe their is a long term role in the starting 11 at Chelsea. On Sarri's part, he has made it clear CHO is good enough, and is in his plans. He has spelt it out in no uncertain terms. So I am not having the narrative that CHO is a snake, or that this is 'typical Chelsea' messing it up. He just wants to leave. He may regret it, he my not. But it is what it is, no need to find someone to blame. What I would say, is that Chelsea need to boss this situation. Bayern have been fairly aggressive in their persuit, and equally CHO has thrown in a transfer request days away from the close of the window. Chelsea need to make a statement that we are in charge, not CHO, and not Bayern. Personally, I would continue to play him, and refuse to sell until the summer, unless a suitable replacement can be brought in. This is the same stance we would take with Hazard if he wanted to leave in January, so I don't see why CHO should be treated any different. We will still get a substantial fee in the summer, and we can also give CHO 6 months of playing time to ensure we have given him every opportunity to consider the offer on the table from Chelsea. I am not a fan of keeping unhappy players in the camp, but this is a fairly unique situation, and one I think we need to dig our heel in on. It has been done to us many time before (Stones most recently, after he handed in a transfer request), so i would like us to show we are calling the shots on this one.

Yep, still buzzing!! It doesn't get much better than that!! Dumping Tottenham out of a semi final, at home, on pens, with that little prick Dier ballooning his kick over the bar under pressure, and the entire MHL mugging him off. Nothing more than we deserved as well, we were the better team in both legs in my opinion, and really could/should have won both legs quite comfortably. "oh but they were missing players tonight " So what? We won a Champions League final against Bayern Munich, in their stadium, with a patched up team missing our Captain. Boo f**king hoo. They had all their key players in the first leg and settled for a 1-0 win (gifted by an incorrect penalty decision), so you will find no sympathy here I am afraid. Good atmosphere last night, with a moody old school feel around the Bridge I must say. I did see a bit of trouble down the Fulham Road pre-match, but no idea how it came about. Either way, it was a highly charged and passionate London derby. Anyway, my summary: Fantastic team performance with the players positively responding to Sarri's comments. This is a big, BIG thing. Could have gone wither way, but they delivered. Well done Sarri, and well done every player who stepped up. Emerson looked quality. A couple of subline balls into the box. Hard to see how he couldn't be first choice, but perhaps that is a bit OTT. He should certainly be getting much more of a look in though. Giroud: we looked SO much better for having him on the pitch. So much more presence, physicality and balance. Should have scored two goals at least, the header in the 94th minute the golden chance to wrap the tie up. I think he can play a role as impact sub for the remainder of the season, a role which he seems to flourish in. Kante: Unbelievable. I said it after the first leg; do not underestimate how good he is, just because he is a few yards further up the pitch. He provides so much more in this role than he is given credit for. Jorgino: Much better. f**king boss penalty. Luiz: Very good, albeit second half not as good as the first. Never doubted him for the penalty. Barkley. Again, just not good enough. Really not sure what he is supposed to be providing in his role. He pretty much plays it safe, but still managed to lose possession again and again. Pedro: Not his night, never really made an impact. Willian: Came on and was worse than Pedro in my opinion. Decision making all over the place, and his shooting (when we really needed to have composure) was awful. No agenda against him like I know some do, but he has always been inconsistent, and the gaps between his big performances seem to be getting bigger and bigger. I also really don't see his style of play to be one that is a natural fit with what Sarri is trying to do. Personally, I think we should have cashed in on him in the summer and promoted CHO to a starting role (easy with hindsight isn't it). Rudi: A rock at the back. Really starting to like this guy. Kepa: Decent save in the shoot out. That's all I can really remember. Higuaín: Looked like he enjoyed it. Got a feeling he is going to be a big character for us this season. All in all, a brilliant night !!!

Tongue in cheek or not, it's embarrassing. There is already a Sarri thread, so I don't really see why the OP would go to the effort to set up a new thread (with an embarrassing title) unless the title reflected what he/she wanted to be discussed. And discussing "who is next after Sarri" because we have lost a game is pathetic.

What an awful thread. Probably one of the worst in the time I have been a member of this forum. Not sure of the intention, but to name a thread in this way because we have lost a game, when we are 4th in the league and still in every competition really does make you look like a spoilt brat.

Not really sure what this group/movement will actually do?

I would be very surprised if he plays any part against Arsenal. I mean the game is tomorrow afternoon and he isn't even a Chelsea player yet. Can't think of many examples of players being included in match day squads within 24-36 hours of being announced by the club.

I read Higuaín would be able to play in the Europa League. That's a massive plus point. Would he be able to play in the League Cup? I read he would have to have been registered for the first leg, in order to play in the second against Spurs? Can anyone confirm?

Well I fully agree with you that transfers interest him. It would be both weird and worrying if they didn't to be honest. I have only seen the one quote some time ago though, didn't really know it was a 'thing'. I took it to mean he likes to focus on football rather than the transfer market, which isn't an uncommon theme for Managers. Perhaps it is how he see's himself or wants to be seen, I don't know. But if he is asked "would you like to stick with Morata, or do you want us to try and get a striker who thrived under you previously" then what would you hope/expect him to say? Of course he is going to give his opinion. I wouldn't expect I'm to reply with "Sorry, I would like to tell you, but 6 months ago I made a comment about not being interested in transfers, so I better not" If we had a striker who was even close to doing their job for the club then I would imagine he would have been happy to work with what he had. But under the circumstances, what manager would be happy?!

What narrative is that? I am aware of some old comments he made, but don't know what the word for word quote was. Is it something that has been repeated recently?

I see Chelsea are now caught up in a "SIGNING A PLAYER THE MANAGER WANTED" scandal on the forum. Assuming the 6 month loan deal happens; I think this is a great move, and under the circumstances, it's as good as we could have hoped for. Both from a business & football standpoint. Really odd to see peoples first thoughts are (along the lines of) "This is on Sarri's head should it not work out" or "Sarri has no excuse now" For a start I don't know why Sarri needing an "excuse" would even come into mind at the moment. He doesn't need an excuse. He isn't trying to get out of a PE lesson. More to the point, this is more a case of damage limitation by the club, to sort out a serious, serious flaw in the squad. A gamble was taken on Morata. I said at the start of the season I didn't think it was the right gamble, but never the less I understand why the club felt they had to try. But it failed miserably. Offloading Morata and replacing with a striker who might actually score goals isn't exactly a move of generosity by the club, more complete necessity.