youlots

I share that opinion. Look at it from his point of view - since he has come in as owner he has put huge sums into the club/british economy. But the British government don't seemingly care a jot about that & are now making life difficult for him because of his association with Putin. And of course that rather unwelcoming attitude together with the unfolding Brexit disaster and the long term consequences of same not just for the British economy but in respect to to the future livelihood of all clubs in the EPL must be a real cause for concern. Hence his decision to shelve the stadium re-build.

Noticed that Tass is reporting that an Israeli daily is asserting that Roman is now seeking Israeli citizenship - presumably dual. http://tass.com/economy/1005924

Thx for posting the link Spiller. An opinion from wxwax no less & imo a very fair & well reasoned one at that & it is hard to disagree with at all. I may have had some disagreements with him over film when he graced these boards all those years ago but not his take on keeping Conte. I think it's instructive to look back much earlier this season as to what expectations were realistic: some of us stated back then that top 4 & a cup would be a good season in circumstances where making the top 4 has never been harder. And we almost got there. I still think we had a good season. Not that that is going to save Conte which I think is unfortunate really because imo we should keep him. But with this club the grass always seems greener with short term stints as far as the Manager goes. I wonder what those on here might say at this time next year should we miss out on top 4 again after having brought in someone else? All speculative of course but let's be realistic - how many of the available managers out there are as good as Conte?

hehe...heya dipsh*t. Gee...most if not all loans carry an option to buy (as did his loan contract with Gigliati)....so no news from you with that statement and, so it follows, your assertion that I am incorrect is baseless. And you think that Mourinho would've had a say in respect to standard loan contract terms as between Roma & Chels or even Chels & Fiorentina?? Of course not. Once the decision is taken to loan a player then the details are left to others - or didn't you get that far in school? Separately, I'm more chels than you'll ever be you reactionary, recidivist tosser.

Yep. Chels sold him to Roma on 3 August 2016 being more than 7 months after Jose was fired. But, apparently*, Mourinho was telepathically responsible for the Board committing to sell Salah - such is the power of Jose. * according to TheChelseaBlues, didierforever, RIPMourinho & other assorted dipsh*ts

Of interest: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/16/russian-oligarchs-fight-mine-battle-in-london-court Also, that long-time Chels hater, Syed, has recently filed a column in The Times concerning our owner. I can't get round the paywall so as to read the column - could someone who does subscribe post his full column herein? Thanks in advance.

Ok....quote me some my drivel.

Yeah...he's a professional. all he has done....sweet hitchens perhaps with your constant hyperbole & bitching talk chelsea would be more your sort of environment. What say you think about that & the drivel that you post.

Very unfair on Banksy. How about Hockney to Van Gogh instead.

gee...haven't been called a boy for a long time...that made me chuckle. You originally stated that Conte was a match-fixer - but there is no proof of that. Mourinho did not say the same at all. Therein lies the difference but given that you can't appreciate that difference, or admit to same, there is no point in any further engagement with you.

Yes - that was the associative charge levelled at him but of course they couldn't prove it & so subsequently they dropped it.

Mourinho stated that "he would never be suspended for match-fixing". Part of what Jose said was true - Conte was suspended for match-fixing but he was also subsequently exonerated. Do you see the difference or are you totally obtuse?

Hey newby, couple of defamatory statements there - tone it down a bit - don't think this site wishes to be a defendant in a law suit.

Quite possibly, although you can make your points w/o linking from that abject filth can't you? Why are reading from that rag in the first place Ernie?

Really? You're baffled by a footballer accepting what, $300K a week to ply his wares for a 'glamour' outfit, live in London & we're he can go 'missing' every other game without being really held to account? What's not to like from his perspective? Sounds marvelous to me.

deary me...well, I'll dumb it down a bit so that you can understand: (i) You said, and I quote - "my opinion is the only one that matters to me"; Some inferences to be drawn from such a breathtakingly arrogant statement are as follows: (ii) Anyone that has a different opinion than you is wrong;and/or (iii) You do not in any way value anyone else's opinion that is different or in opposition to your own; and/or (iv) You are unable and/or unwilling to engage with others in circumstances where you only value your own opinion etc. I could go on & drawn other inferences but do you now have the general idea...or didn't you get that far in school? And as far as 'discussion' is concerned it certainly helps the development & progression of any discussion for posters to share their opinions - however, none of us, when sharing an opinion, should ever make the mistake of concluding that 'our opinion' is the be all or end all of a matter under discussion because otherwise, what would be the point of having a discussion in the first place? Hence, with such an attitude of yours, I put to you the rather obvious: being what is the point of you, with such an attitude as yours, being on this site, or for that matter, any internet site whatsoever? Do you understand now?

In which case, why are you on this site at all?

Did you have similar issues with venn diagrams at school as well?

deary me

What an absolute pleasure to see you posting again Pauly. I can only hope that your input may spur some of the other old posters to do likewise. And I agree with your sentiments - cannot believe that this thread was started in the first place. In my view, and unless we undergo some sort of terrible free-fall over the next 6 weeks, any decision concerning Conte should be made at the end of the season & only in circumstances where we fail to make the top 4/CL berths for next year. That's been the aim for this season has it not? So if he achieves that we should stick with him. It's all very well for some on here to use the fact that the Board & Owner have been unforgiving & merciless in the past when dispensing with managers (which they have to be sure) but in my view a lot of those decisions were taken in circumstances where we had a solid core of experienced older players within the squad. Now we don't & haven't for some years. Secondly, who realistically could come in at short notice who comes close to Conte's pedigree so as to ensure that we achieve the top 4? No-one comes to mind readily. We've had a bad month football wise but don't forget that we've played a lot more games already this season than last & that we're still 3rd, still in there for the real Cup & still in the CL. And this is notwithstanding the fact that we had to continually experiment with signings this year due to a depleted squad & that we've had our fair share of injuries and, as Pauly points out, the rest of the league has, as usual with champions, had enough time to either copy what Conte has put in place or enough time to come up with countering Conte's ideas. Some patience is required here & acceptance of the idea that over the next few years this situation is going to be the norm for us whilst the new stadium is built.

the media feed that we were interested came, somewhat unsurprisingly, from Arsenal in order that they could extract more from Utd. Always follow the money.....

Go easy in the cricket thread mate ;-)

crikey....guess what, it was a derby, they got the early goal & were smart & disciplined in protecting their lead in conditions to suit. We're a bit thin squad wise - have been for some years & we'd played mid-week. This 'crap' side & 'poor' opposition perspective...I mean really. They're in the EPL, there's no love lost between us & under Moyes they're now having a go - look at their effort against City the other week - not too shabby. Get some perspective for f**k sakes.

^ Good post Ab. So much whinging & unnecessary angst on here after the derby. Sure - disappointing result but how many times has that happened over the last few years in the same situation? Quite a bit & regardless of whether it was Mourinho or Conte as the manager. The point being that we've had a thin squad for some years because of other more pressing considerations - ie. to continue with the model of being self-funding as much as possible & because we've got to build the new stadium to ensure for the long term. In consequence, this idea that we can over the short term match the likes of City or United in terms of player/squad spend is not the reality. Look at our net spend over the last few years compared to theirs - not in the same ball-park & in fact we have been the big over-achievers in respect to silverware both under Mourinho & Conte when the sheer financial spend on players is taken into account. And this has been evidently obvious for some years now & yet we still see the constant whinging in the short term. Some of you have got to get some perspective - you are chels for life so you have to understand that in this 'moment' we are planning for the long term viability of this club at a time when over the last 5 years or so some very rich benefactors have come into football. We were very lucky that our benefactor came in very early & a glorious decade or so followed. And then others saw that & followed & now it's ultra competitive & we're no longer in the top 3 of clubs in respect to what we can spend. Certainly we are still in the top ten but it's a very different game than it was ten or even 5 years ago now. So get some perspective - last year as Ab says we over-achieved & won the title (albeit made much easier given we weren't in Europe). This year we're back in Europe where we belong & the aim is to make the top 4 so as to stay in Europe next year & maybe to win a cup or two. What's wrong with that ambition? It's completely realistic given what we've got to do in terms of the new stadium. And given the huge amounts that City has doled out in the last 5 to 6 years for players their return has been pretty ordinary when you think about it. But sooner or later, by the law of averages, they were going to manage to bring it all together which is what is happening this year. So I don't get the angst exactly. And quite apart from that, some credit is due to Moyes here: got the early goal & then set up to stonewall - we couldn't un-pick em'. Seen a fair bit of that over the years. Even City found it difficult to un-pick em' the week before with all their firepower. It happens. It's called football.

Gotta say - I really like the new side-bar column with the new comments. Well done & hope it stays.