pete

I agree about looking up rather than down we will finish 3rd comfortably and get more points than we have done in the last two seasons 71 and 64. Get to two finals and lose one to the mighty bradford! and beat Atheltico in the other with Frank scoring the winner, knowing the way our season is going.

When I heard Sven and cabbage man Capello in a Jose thread it was too good not to get a mention.

Can't let Sven the cad near our Eva. Shut up Sven

He's rotating them I don't think either is number one in his eyes. You could say the Swansea game and the Arsenel game are/were both as big as each other, they both would have a go in each game assuming Ba starts on Wed which he will.

I just think he is overrated nice fella and all and talks sense but that doesn't get you the chance to manage Chelsea. Roman gets a lot of things wrong but keeping away from the British managers is not one of them in my view. I don't see the top teams around Europe kicking his door down at Real or Bayern Juventus etc etc. I'd be well chuffed if he takes over from Ferguson than if Jose or Guardiola took over.

He's not rubbish but with the most supportive chairman in football and the best working conditions and full support of the media you would have expected them to kick on. I’m not sure they have shoe-string budget that is what Wigan, Swansea and reading have. I would say what Redknapp done at spurs was far greater in a much shorter space of time, even Jol had spurs with 3, 5th place finishes on a similar budget to what Everton had then. I don’t hear anyone championing him he did fairly well last season with Fulham.

He did look a bit pacier and had some moments of good build up but I think the moment he has a second to think and make a decesion on goal he suffers from the yips.

I'm not sure why Moyes is so highly rated he has been in one domestic cup final in 10 years and has done f**k all in Europe even Mclaren and Hodgson managed to get poorer teams to the final in the Uefa cup. The only time he made the c/l qulafiers they lost in the play offs and his team for much of the time have been like Stoke apart from the past 12 months. The only advantage to having him here is the media would like us as we have appointed a British man for all of six weeks until they start having a go as we have ruined their goldenboy.

We should get Clarke as the manager with Zola and Poyet as part of the backroom for when Roman sacks Clarke around Jan 2014. We could then have and Poyet as the backup for Zola in fact we could just appoint a massive backroom numbers 1-7 and prepare for the future ie 2015.

He's just a skinny Spanish waiter anyway...

This made me smile this bit of writing. Let's begin with a quick reminder of an oft-forgotten truth: Football should be fun. Now, David Luiz, most would agree, is indeed fun. To make such a case is a fairly simple task, though it's equally easy to fall into the trap of typecasting the Chelsea man as some sort of barmy-haired foreign eccentric while doing so (especially as each of those three descriptives are difficult to refute). To summarise Luiz's finest merit, though, while skilfully evading casual xenophobia: He just seems to enjoy it all. Whether he's bounding forward from centre-back or playing silly buggers in post-match interviews, he simply appears to be having fun. In a footballing age marred by racism, elitist ticket pricing and a pervasive mood of wilful hysteria, the simple pleasure of enjoyment should not be taken for granted. For this alone we should be grateful to David Luiz. Beyond this, though, Luiz has no shortage of talent. In marked contrast to most Premier League defenders, Luiz can hit a raking pass with either foot as capably as he can fizz a dead ball goalwards. In short, Luiz's ease on the eye is the result of a too-rare marriage of carefree attitude and refined ability. It makes for a great source of entertainment. Of course, he is far from a perfect footballer. Indeed, the 25-year-old has attracted much criticism during his two years on British shores, generally for his defensive susceptibility. While Gary Neville's now-infamous allegation that Luiz played like he was "controlled by a 10-year-old on a Playstation" was rather more quotable than it was completely fair, it nonetheless cut to the heart of the suspicions about the Brazilian's utilisation in central defence.* Luiz has long been accused of vacating his position too freely, and for rarely reverting to the pragmatic long clearance when the situation demands. Both of these are fair criticisms, though both have been aired with a readiness bordering on cruel. Either way, the recent arrival of Rafa Benitez has seen the Brazilian shifted upfield 20 yards or so, and into the position of holding midfielder. It is no understatement to say that Luiz has been a revelation there. Part of the reason for the move was simple practicality: Chelsea are short of players who would find a natural home in the holding role: the unproven Oriol Romeu is sidelined for the season, Frank Lampard's greatest offering remains his goal-getting and Ramires' strengths lie in his box-to-box athleticism rather than any real positional nous. John Obi Mikel is the club's only other real option for the position, but the Nigerian, ponderous and lacking in mobility, has never convinced. Mikel was consigned to the substitutes' bench even before his recent departure to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations. Luiz is by no means a world-beater in the defensive midfield role (yet) but he does possess a certain all-roundness that has ensured he plays the position with infinitely more authority than any of his teammates have done this season. His assuredness on the ball - both passing it and carrying it forwards - is especially striking, but the Brazilian is also deceptively robust, strong in the tackle and boasts a speediness that has so far compensated for any wayward positioning. All in all, the move seems a natural fit for all parties - for now, if not necessarily for the long term, and Luiz has performed exceptionally well in his newfound position (though he did start out as a wide midfielder for Vitoria in Brazil). The upturn in the tempo of Chelsea's football - their metronome now Luiz as opposed to Mikel - has been very apparent. Luiz retreated back to central defence for Jon Walters' Chelsea's destruction of Stoke on Saturday, but with the return of brave John Terry from his hurty knee and the aforementioned departure of Mikel, the expectation is that a return to the centre of the park is imminent. It's something that bodes well for player, club and onlooker alike. David Luiz, in his new incarnation as screening midfielder, brings joy not only to the sport in general but to a position that has traditionally been characterised by a distinct lack of it. In the post-Makelele era, adjectives like 'disciplined' and 'consistent' tend to serve as the closest thing to gushing praise that a holding player can reasonably attract. Luiz's exuberant japes fly in the face of the dead-eyed efficiency of Makelele and Busquets and de Jong that has come to rule the roost. This may well, of course, be his downfall - too much merry bounding around and not enough quiet fire-extinguishing; too many dipping long-rangers and too little sensible ball retention. Too much joyful chaos and not enough discipline and consistency. Maybe. Time will tell, of course. Hopefully Luiz will continue to prove a success in midfield. Hopefully he won't have to compromise his high-energy vibrancy to do so. This writer, for one, would love to see David Luiz become a 'new Makelele'. But I'd hate him to become a Makelele-style 'new Makelele'. That straitjacket is not for David Luiz. Football, after all, should be fun. * The player's response, delivered via Twitter - 'Gary Neville I love u' - was typically Luizian.

He opened his mouth, there is a pic of him mouthing off at h/t and Mata just looks at Asbo Pulis wondering who this homeless tramp is.

Football boss Jose Mourinho is being investigated by police over allegedly kicking a fan’s bum while out shopping with his family, The Sun reported. The Real Madrid manager, 49, is said to have been approached by the man who wanted his photo taken with him. Instead the fan is alleged to have received a “kick up the bottom” at a mall near Madrid on Thursday evening. The former Chelsea manager’s bodyguard is also accused of throwing the man’s mobile phone to the floor. Mourinho has denied wrongdoing. A police spokesman said: “We are investigating.” Free the special one...

I like the idea of going after Buck, Gorlay and Emenalo rather than the manager if that makes sense, everyone knows how we feel about the interim. Praising RDM and chanting how we feel about Frank are strong enough for me. Whilst I don't care how other fans see us, if we want to attract the likes of Guardiola and other top managers I do wonder how they view us, I have long accepted Roman and Jose will not work together for a host of reasons, that ship has sailed a long time ago even if it is the most logical. There is also the fact a hostile environment isn't great for the players. It's a mess but hounding a man out in Jan is mental. We also have quite a few young players, they are not as tough as the likes of Drogba, JT and Lampard, you do think at this rate the likes of Hazard and Oscar and some others will wonder if they made the right move here.

There are quite a lot of things to have a go at the interim but this is just hacks sh*tstirring nothing to see here. I could be wrong but he is at least treating Lampard with respect compared to AVB who seemed to try and treat him like a naughty child. It seems more of an attempt to talk up the likes of our new players rather than a dig at anyone.

He has a few c/l winners at Qpr, Boswinga, Park, Cisse, Cesar Qpr actually have some decent players Granero and Tarabat are good players but just an imbalanced squad and maybe just a few players who are not as hungry as they should be. Ferndandes is a tit as much as we moan about Roman never speaking this twat does not shut up, he's like a young Dave Whelan.

DiMatteo will get a good job no doubt he was linked with Napoli also. I would say it is far more owners of such clubs trying to pretend to their fans they have been linked with a European Cup winning manager.

Seems like a arry deadline day deal terrfic top top little player.

It wouldnt make any difference if we gave him a 10 year deal if roman woke up and was pissed off he would be gone. This is why I can't get too worked up about it all if we lost the next two, the papers will be claiming Avram is being lined up or Emenalo is to be the new manager. Not that Beasley doesnt have good contacts at the club but things change by the week at the Bridge.

They had won their last 5 at home and that included games agaisnt Arsenal and United so not so shabby. It was a solid team performance and apart from the occasional set-piece we were never in any trouble, job done.

It's fair to say they have parked their green and yellow bus and the ref has let everything go, doesnt like to use his whistle at all. Hopefully we have drained them as I doubt they can keep their high tempo from their players going chasing shadows. Agree would like to see Hazard as this is made for him to be able to pull players out of position sooner rather than later. it has been a solid team performance so far.

They lost again, 16 points behind Barca beaten by the old Real coach and dropping Cassilas sounds like he is trying to get himself the sack. Dropping Cassilas and shipping 3 goals will be considered far worse than what VillasBoas did with some of our players, wouldn't be suprised to see him win the European cup but he is in a tricky spot at the moment, he better get his sh*t sorted out so he can batter those c**ts from Manchester. Mourinho seals his Real Madrid fate by dropping iconic captain Casillas By Inaki Angulo and Sam Lee Jose Mourinho took on his enemies in the Real Madrid dressing room head on on Saturday night by dropping Iker Casillas, the iconic captain of his club and country. Months of internal war and cloak and dagger skirmishes have finally spilled over into the public eye, with the Portuguese making an example of a man who could genuinely be considered Mr Real Madrid. Dropping Casillas is the latest and starkest measure taken by Mourinho in a fully planned-out strategy to secure his exit from the club. Since the start of the season, he has been paving a way to freedom in case things turned sour. And turned sour they have. The fans quickly turned on the coach following a series of poor results that left los Blancos trailing Barcelona by 13 points as of Saturday morning. When faced by a hostile reception from the crowd ahead of the crucial derby against Atletico, Mourinho realised that there was no turning back on his plan. Since declaring that he “has no team†following defeat against Sevilla back in September, he has increasingly risked his own reputation by making a number of controversial statements in the media – even by his standards. From continually criticising his players, the cantera, and even the club itself, he has served only to turn almost everybody at the Santiago Bernabeu against him. For some time now, those at boardroom level have suspected that Mourinho is trying to make himself out as the victim in order to seal a dignified exit. Mourinho is held in high regard by every fan at his former clubs, and would like the same treatment in the Spanish capital. Whispers spread among the Madrid hierarchy that he will do whatever he can to leave the club and cite a lack of support from those above him as the chief reason. Having already seen off the dissenting voice of club legend Jorge Valdano, however, he will be hard-pushed to get away with such a claim. Marca, the Madrid-based newspaper, have gone for his throat. They have never been shy in hounding an unpopular coach. Mourinho, unwanted by the club’s fans in January 2010, suddenly shot to the top of the ‘paper’s opinion polls after he masterminded Barcelona’s Champions League exit while in charge of Inter. Manuel Pellegrini was the unlucky incumbent who was on the end of that disrespectful press campaign to oust him. But now it is Mourinho in the firing line. The Portuguese has been bothered by the players he sees as disloyal for almost his entire reign. He has become obsessed with finding out who has been leaking stories to the press, something he has not had to deal with at any of his previous clubs with any of their obedient dressing rooms. There are many rumoured sources. Marca has started to publish polls asking its readers which coach they would like to see replace Mourinho, exactly the same as what they had done to Pellegrini two years ago. Last week, just as he has done again this Saturday, he took on his adversaries head on. Following a pre-match press conference, he called Marca journalist Anton Meana into a backroom, gave him a dressing down – “In football, we are at the top, in journalism, you are a s*** - and demanded that he reveal his sources. The next day, Meana’s employers published the story and all its details. It prompted many to question Mourinho’s judgement – surely he knew the exchange would come out? Did he want people to know he believed he had “three bad apples†in his dressing room? But now he has well and truly waged war. Now he has sent a message to everybody. Mourinho has long considered Casillas disloyal. He considers the Spaniard the press’ favourite. He does not approve of the way that the Roja No.1 refuses to criticise referees after matches, one of Mourinho’s key diversion tactics. He does not approve of Casillas’ continued friendship with Barcelona players. Until now, Mourinho has put up with all that. But no longer. There cannot be any doubt; the dressing room is split, and the situation is retrievable only because the coach can still be removed from the equation. Mourinho wants something to point to when he leaves Real Madrid, and this is what he will use. But there will not be many who buy it.

I'm not letting any one person ruin me enjoying supporting my team although I respect other views who feel far stronger. I'm far more disappointed at the board for making a poor decision in sacking a manager in November. I also feel uneasy at the scum in the press taking advantage to sh*tstir, they love seeing us infighting.

Yellow card for Anderson lookalike.

Unlucky Victor