youlots

Moos - none of us wants to finish third & none us wants to finish behind the filth. But... Let's be realistic, we both have 5 league games left, they're 3 points above us with a superior goal difference, have an easier run in & they have no CL/midweek games left to play. Plus if we are going to have a new manager next year and the much talked of post season clean out it makes sense to give them game time now as opposed to in the initial games next year. Hiddink has recently said that the club should be run more like Wenger runs Le Arse. Regardless of what one thinks about his opinion on that issue, it'll be interesting to see his selections over he coming month: If, as we all suspect, Mancienne will start at LB on Tuesday then I for one would applaud the decision (and regardless of whether he f**ks up of not) on the basis that he's blooding the youth regardless of the "importance" of the game and even if it is the CL. In saying that I accept that the title has well and truly gone for us this year barring any major f**k ups by Manure. I, like any else around here would love to win the CL at long last (as well as, obviously the FA) but I don;t think we should, at the same time, turn a blind eye to already preparing for next years title race: Simply put, I want the title back!!! And I want it back next year, not the year after, or the year after that...If that means giving the kids a go in the remaining PL fixtures to see whether they're worth keeping and/or whether they're woth loaning out next year and ultimately how they react to pressure, then its a perfect opportunity - and I'd say regardless of whether we do Barca or not.

Given that Le Arse play a day later at home against Boro it's a given Wenger will play his 2nds (because of the CL game midweek) which may be important to us (and Boro obviously) if we drop points against Spam on Saturday or, worst case, lose and then Le Arse beat Boro. We have a healthy goal difference over Le Arse at the moment but we don't want to ultimately lose 3rd place to them (even if that does seem inconcievable at present) - it would ruin Kenyon's post season plans if we had to play the qualifiers for the CL next year. Obviously next week is all important and I doubt very much that (barring any injuries on Saturday & the LB dilemma) Hiddink hasn't already more or less settled his selection for Barca. So we may as well play all the kids including giving Mancienne another go at LB & Riccy needs a run as does Belleti. I'd give Kalou and Di Santo a go up front, Mikel, Lamps, Essien (the latter two always play better the more work you give em') & Stoch in the middle; Cech & Alex (on the basis that he's less likely than JT is to get injured) as well.

Cech; made a couple of crucial saves & was put under a lot of pressure by the toffees at corners and did well; everyone else (apart from Cole & Malouda) looked a bit hungover after the cup tie. Toffees always defend well against us, probably shaded us for the better chances notwithstanding our possession & deserved their point. Shame about Drogba's crack at the end not going in.

How did Mancienne perform as LB?

Terry & Alex jointly - they spoiled and toiled all day broke up a lot of the Arse interplay at the edge of the box & kept Adebayor pretty quiet.

Nervy, sloppy game (hope the FA does something about the turf before the final) but we had the wood on them after their goal. 62 years gone! Brillant. Frank, Drogs & Malouda the best of us & much better defensively from our back four.

Kalou embarrasing?! Hardly. Ineffective, yes, hence the subbing for Anelka. Anelka disinterested?! So I suppose his two vital assists for the 1st and last goals showed disinterest??? The 1st assist was the sublime cross done at full pace just before the byline; in the 2nd he managed to jump to his feet in a split second from next to the touch line (after being felled) and immeditely race over towards the box, intercept the ball being dribbled by Drogs and square it to Frank for Frank to score our last goal that put the filth out of their misery. Quite apart from the above he tracked back at all times to defend with Ivanovic. Frankly, about as good as a performance as I've seen him make for quite some time. Ballack useless? Well there was the intercept of Alonso's pass and then the sublime diagonal pass for Drogs to pick up to square for Frank for the 3rd goal & he did defend well all night to name but a few of the tings he did. I guess some are just never satisfied are they....

A lot more grey hairs after that. Drogs on top of his game; Anelka magnificent tonight. Bit of a Bolton hangover though at times! Mancienne for LB against Barca?!? Deep down we all knew selling WB was going to haunt us at some stage. At least AC only misses 1 game - some consolation I suppose. But bring on the Arse first!

Surprise, surprise...and Barca/Bayern as a reward! And probably Manure in Rome if we get there. Just getting to the final would be an achievement. sh*t draw.

Hey one & all. First - Thank Christ for that - shouldv'e been done months ago - never wanted him in the first place. Obviously we have to hang onto fourth - anything else will be a bonus. Hopefully this will galvanize the players - especially the oldies as they'll now know that their playing for places next year & that a clean out is going to take place at the end of the season. Gianfranco will not be tempted at this stage - he's got Spam playing really well - they shouldv'e beaten Manure the other day. Moyes & O'Neil will not want to come - for the same reasons. Last thing we need at the moment is any aging glory hunter: forget Sven or Hiddink. Time for the Russian to offer Steve Clarke the job for all the obvious (and right) reasons. I just hope it happens. PS - Site looks great Loz et al.

Thankyou for the response that in the main comprises as follows: 1. Use of expetives is casuative of internet community dissolution; 2. is causative or an attractant to wind-up merchants; 3. Censorship makes the job of Modertaors easier; 4. Use of expletives has been the subject of complaint to Moderators on this site; 5. This site is not democratic/sit moderators don't need to be; 6. Further to 5. above, it is a chelsea site not a building site; 7. Use of expletives is for ignorant and uneducated. In answer to the above, I say/question as follows: 1. An interesting notion - like to see some empiracl data to prove that; 2. So people come on this site because of the use of expletives? I severely doubt that is the case; 3. Do not necessarliy disagree but don't necessarily agree either; 4. Really? Who has complained then and when and about what content exactly? 5. Absolutely, they can run it any way they f****n want to I suppose and we have now absolute proof of that. 6. Joyce, Beckett, Lawrence, Proust (and others too numerous to mention) are "ignorant & uneducated". But then again there just bourgy trash really aren' they and it's really just a problem of "the younger generation. Well thank for all of that. And thanks Mod for such a Mugabesque response. Says it all really. I'm now in a quandery: What is the higher value in my life, my loyalties or feelings for contributing to this site (and continuin gto do so) or my feelings on euphemistic censorship? Mmmm. Not so tough really. See ya.

Firstly the concessionary praise: This is a very well run and much loved site; simply the best insofar as our beloved Chels is concerned. An opinionated fact if you like. In the recent past and even where the old CSR was concerned the discretion shown by Admin/Moderators as far as the day to day censorship of various posters has been, in the main, admirably done and usually exercised at times only after a great deal of forbearance. Notwithstanding the above, I have of late noticed that a decision has seemingly been taken by Admin/Moderators to selectively euphemise certain common and frequently used words in all posts. In particular, the words c**t and f**k and their derivatives seem now to be the subject of rigid censorship on this site notwithstanding the fact that both these words have a long etymological history in many languages (and especially English) and the fact that both words and their derivatives can, through their use, encapsulate meaning when used in certain contexts, as precisely and aptly as any other words. This seemingly recent blanket censorial decision is, in my view, pretty f****n objectionable on a number of bases. Language, in all its forms, whether written or character based is the lifeblood of expression and it is trite that but for language this site would not exist. History has repeatedly shown that it is dangerous and insidious once you start shackling freedom of expression in any guise regarding the methodology of the social contract. And, at least to me, any strict doctrine of euphemisation that is consciously employed (whether it be by the US military or on an elective site such as this) is probably the most insidious form of censorship there is. My question to Admin etc is why has this decision been seemingly taken? On what basis has it been taken? Why has no-one been consulted? Why has site rule No.1 not been updated or changed to reflect the new "rule" regarding conscious euphemistic replacement/substitution? Perhaps it is not my place to question this, perhaps I'll receive some rather tart missives in confirmation of that and perhaps some retrospective polemic as to why this decision has been taken. Fully expected and possibly warranted and possibly met with some empathy by other posters on this site who have held different views than mine on Chels issues over the years. But I would like a response all the same.

Irrespective of the result this was always going to happen and we've laboured back and forth on this site since September and, on occasion, with hostility and downright intransigence of position in equal measure as to his appointment, abilities and personal qualities as a manager. However, most of the threads on the issue and the contributions made by the respective camps and most posters have been noteworthy and in the main, erudite and passionate. My position on the intertwined issues on the subject of Avram as, are most others, a matter of record and revisiting same would be boorish and passe. If, as expected, Avram is booted upstairs now that the season is over, I just want to thank him for the commitment, grace and dignity that he has shown in the extremely demanding circumstances of following what can only be described as the Jose phenomena. I doubt any manager could have or could have been expected to and possibly never will be ever able to top what Jose achieved in those 3 years (ableit that I hope that I'm wrong!) Those qualities of Avram were all on show again last night and he and his managerial staff in my estimation put the right combination on the field and subbed appropriately. And given Avram's qualities I think it is undoubted and must be acknowledged by even his most voracious critics that his commitment, grace and dignity have slowly but surely brushed off on the players and with good results and there was surely a latent respect developing between certain players and Avram in the last six weeks or so. Of the countless images that we have of Avram since September (most being pretty uncomplimentary and pretty unfair) I think that 2 have preminence. The first when we sank to his knees on the turf at the end of the 2nd semi against the filth and the 2nd being his consolation of JT last night whilst soaked to the bone. Those 2 images for me sum up the man and his qualities best: He is a good man in a turbelent, unrelenting and difficult field. So thanks Abramovich for choosing that image as your new avatar. Hope you keep it for awhile. And I hope that Avram is allowed to stay as our Director of Fottball for as long as he wants to because I think that he has shown that he has a lot to offer to the club behind the scenes and I salute him for what he's achieved this year. Just wish we could get rid of that extraordinary cnut Kenyon...but hey we're surely all agreed on that issue!

Inconsolable. An inch away from what we surely deserved on tonight's performance. Grief has so many dark corners.

As I post it's 8.30 pm down here & kick-off is at 4.45 am so I'll retire in about an hour or so but probably won't get much sleep. Like others thought, and at present, I'm pretty calm. I think we've got the wood over them and have done for some time - Tevez coming out with all that rubbish - said more about their nerves & their state of mind. Anyway hope we stuff 'em. 4 semis in 5 years - it's our time & no-one can say we don't deserve this. C'mon Chels make it count. Oh and goodluck Avram

Thought this was about Shev's legs and then I read it....

3-0 just like when we did em at the Bridge 2 years ago.

Well apparently Moratti has told various people that Mancini will be leaving after all. If that's the case then it must be odds on as to whom their next manager will be and, by extension, where Frank is headed. I think it may be the case that an attempt has been made to keep all of this underwraps for at least a few weeks but that the inevitable leaks have surfaced and that Moratti, when confronted yet again by the italian media has then made the Mancini comment. Because of that comment the papers have run with/turned "the possible signing of Lampard" comment (which has been a distinct possibility all year) as now being a done deal. Do the tabloids now run with the Drogs story to inter before tomorrow night as well? They must be sorely tempted.

Loz you havn't included Riise. Surely he warrants a place on the bench.

Non-statistical facts eh Enrico? That must be the best epistemoligical oxymoron I 've heard for awhile.

As opposed, presumably, to those smart ghetto kids eh Enrico?

Krauts & Czechs as well based on their football over the last year or so. Hope they both continue to play like that. Would love to see the tank or PC lift that trophy as well.

Dowie; what an inspired choice.

That's right Kal and you just know that the usual suspects on this site are going to be itching to use that phrase because, contrary to what Liam (me old mate) et al is so fond of suggesting from time to time, the "coterie" just can't bear the thought of Jose not being in the news. And if anything this thread and the rather pedestrian sniping is, if evidence of anything, their deep attachment for Jose. They just can't admit such to themselves or anyone else for that matter. Of course it will all be put down to being a wind up or keeping the site ticking over or a genuine subject that should be up for discussion or whatever when it's really just their form of fey affectation: So no loves labours lost for them, more a case of loves labours unrequited. They will never have closure...

Redforfilth (or whatever your name is) I didn't even mention our manager in my last post vis a vis your manager, nor did I call Torres "mediocre" and nor did I accuse anyone of bribing anyone. And they wonder (or do they?!?) why we're so fond of them.