bleed_blue

Really? Pointing you to the fact that squad strength varies from year to year and hence two games a week can be a tougher ask in some seasons compared to others is my crime. For the last time RDM played 20 games in 94 days and Benitez has had 18 in 60 days. If you continue to abuse Benitez for his performances and dont take this into account then I am not the one on wrong side of logic. Also, a quantitative look at the current position of all the teams that we have faced during RDM's time and Benitez's time will tell you that the quality of opposition has not been significantly different as posters here will have you believe. These two points are solid quantitative statements backed with proof.

My mistake mate. I did not realize trying to find sense in irrational hatred for a manager would make the mods try and dig up information about me.

Are these the posts that are light on subjective anti-interim content and high on objective reasons? Edit: I can add more of these posts from this page but I guess you get my point. and the abuse continues below as well :)

Really? Has anyone of you tackled the objective issue of playing 20 games in 94 days viz a viz 18 in 60 days? Has anyone of you tacked the objective average league position of our opponents during the two phases? Most of the responses here have been of the kind: He is a terrible manager. He should be sacked away right now. No one has bothered to look at the problem even one level below. Just superficial arguments flying all around.

Look at all you ladies getting your periods just because someone does not share your irrational hatred for another human being. @Tommy Docherty: I think I had said this earlier as well. RDM was sacked for the team's showing in Champions league. That is what Abrahamovich cares about more. in the meantime, you guys can continue making me a target of your abuses and dirty talk.

Yeah, anyone posting reality that does not fit in your world of grand illusion is posting self-serving garbage. Jog on mate. "sence" really? Can't get a 5 letter word's spellings right? And since you cant reply to my post with any logic, you start making baseless accusations. Good one. AND not ONE person has a serious reply to the fact that RDM's team played 20 games in 94 days while Benitez has had to play 18 in just 60 days. Also, reg. the opposition we have faced, I gave an average league standing of our opponents during the two time periods which showed no big difference. You guys on the other hand have been brushing aside the issue with subjective statements like "Anyone would agree that we faced far tougher opposition under RDM than Benitez".

Really? We beat Everton at Goodison Park, the only team to do that in 11 games this season. We beat Stoke at their stadium, again the only team to do that in 11 games this season. All this while playing two games every week. Now you guys are really clutching at straws. Are you Alex Ferguson in disguise? Such spite and haterd. I for one, am indifferent towards him. But I dont want another managerial change because he hasnt done anything to warrant that. I have enough brain to understand that with a thin squad, 18 games in 60 days is a tough ask viz a viz 20 games in 94 days.

OR, what people call, the 3rd year Jose Mourinho itch.

The atmosphere gives an excuse to the players. It is plainly obvious but we can continue to ignore it and chanting anti benitez protests. Hey, if we cant be a positive value addition, lets try and bring the team down. How many times have we scored from crosses by these full backs pre Benitez and post Benitez? The answer will tell you that you are completely wrong. You cannot compare what happened this season to 10 past seasons. The squad depth this season is the same as it was for the last 10 years?? God has given us a wonderful gift that resides in our skull, try using it before you type. RDM: Wigan, Reading, Newcastle,QPR, Stoke, Arsenal, Norwich, Spurs, ManU, Swansea, Liverpool, West Brom. The average of their current position in league table right now is 10.9 Benitez: Man City, Fulham, West Ham, Sunderland, Villa, Norwich, Everton, QPR, Southamton, Arsenal. The average of their current league position is 11.3 Not much diference there I am afraid. Since the start of PL season on 19 august, we played 20 games in all compeitions under RDM in 94 days. Roughly a game every 4.7 days. Since Benitez has come in, we have played 18 games in 60 days, a game every 3.3 days.

Also note the fact that since Benitez arrived, we have been playing two games every week without fail.

Did Benitez immediately come in after ManU game? We played 3 more PL games after that in which we got a grand total of 2 points. We lost to Juventus post the ManU game and were saved against Shakhtar thanks to an injury time goal by Moses. Benitez was not responsible for any of those inept performances. The QPR game was failure to take own chances and a lucky break for the opposition towards the end. Reg. home vs poor performances, I wont state the reason explicitly because it is bound to offend a few "FSW" haters on here. That is a load of ****. How far can your DMs play when the other team has decided to put 11 bodies behind the ball. Reg our full backs, what makes you think he was shouting instructions to them to stay back in their position and not attack? getting in two strikers, occupying CBs is easier said than done.

Yeah like he has tightened the Madrid squad.

We were not. You have to look at the quality of opposition before that game. We beat Wigan, they are languishing at 19th in the table We beat Reading, they are languishing at 18th in the table We beat Newcastle, they are 16th in the league We beat Norwich(13th), Stoke City (10th by 1 late goal). We had two good wins against Arsenal and Spurs and a draw against QPR. During the same period we gave away a 2 goal advantage at home vs Juventus, lost to Shakhtar and were on the outer in CL. We were embarrassed by Athletico Madrid in the UEFA cup. The problems did not start when we replaced RDM with Benitez. They were always there. Just that our league position flattered to deceive. The one new problem post Benitez's arrival would be poor home form viz a viz away form and we all know the reason for that.

"going for the broke" Our most attacking players were all on the field. How more broke could he have gone? When teams sit back and defend, it is not the easiest thing in the world to unlock the defense. It takes either a moment of genius/luck/brilliance or a mistake from the defending team to score. We are featuring an almost new attacking unit this season. Our front 4 (Ba, Oscar, Mata, Hazard) will take time to understand each others' game and movement. That is why, it is said "The team is in transition phase". As for the comparison with other games, I only used that to show that this is not something entirely unexpected. It has happened before, to us, to others.

really? Lets see what people have replied. shedpensioner wrote: He did not change anything at half time when 95% of the managers would have. He brought on Luiz but for Ivanovic and not Ramires. Other top managers like Ferguson, RDM, Mancini would have done something different. my reply:Given the bench strength that day, 95% of the managers would not have made a change at half time. Any sane person will tell you that. If you have seen Ramires play, you would realize that his biggest strength comes into play when other team is tiring. It makes all the sense in the world to keep him on the field. He could have brought on Luiz for Lampard but I dont need to remind you of the reaction here when Lampard was subbed out last time. Also, I dont need to remind you of the reaction of fans when Torres is brought on as a sub when goals are required. As far as other managers are concerned, Fergie's side drew with Swansea 1-1 the last time they played at Swansea, Manchester City havent been to Swansea yet while RDM's chelsea also drew 1-1 at Swansea. Tommy Docherty wrote: last night's game was a typical performance of Benitez's chelsea. we had a lot of possession and few chances.lack of urgency, lack of guile are due to the way the manager set up the team. my reply: Did you ask the same questions when we were drawing against Swansea under RDM? Did you ask the same question when we could not break down QPR at the beginning of the season under RDM? Were similar questions asked of Guardiola when he came up against a resolute Chelsea in 2009 and in 2012? Were similar questions asked of Ferguson when his side had 1 good opportunity in the entire match and ended up drawing 1-1 at Tottenham? Swansea knew before the game that they just needed to shut down their goal and they set up accordingly. They stick to their plan and worked hard. Is it that hard to accept?

I am sorry mate but the more number of times you use the words fat, fraud, waiter; the more you expose yourself as a crying lady who is unable to take an insult that he said 6-7 years ago.

Some perspective. We were playing an away game against a team that has only lost twice at home. And they did not need to push for a win in this game. They have a very good CB partnership in place which has hit a very rich vein of form of late. Those talking about substitutions, what different would you have done? He replaced Lampard with Torres in Southampton and people were all after him. Our best attackers were on the pitch. Marin has been given limited game time, but in that period he has shown that he is not ready yet. But please dont let these realities come in the way of your "Get benitez OFF" protests.

The reality is halfway between the Rafa loving journalists and the handful of Chelsea fans who are unable to let go of something he said 6 years ago. Would you mind telling this tactical change he made in the second half that was so suicidal?

Manager in a lying to the press shocker. Quick, stop the press.

I dont think anyone would say that Ramires has excellent technical ability (first touch, dribbling etc). But he does make it up with his stamina, speed, willingness to put in an effort. He was one of our most consistent performers last season. This season, his technical deficiencies have been highlighted but I would still start him ahead of Mikel, Lampard etc. Mikel may have a very good first touch and be very efficient with his 5 yard passes but he never shows the same desire to work. Once beaten, he does not try to get back. If he is caught upfield, he will not show any urgency to get back. That problem has also been highlighted time and again this season.

The problem with loaning Courtois to a PL club next year is it will be a stepdown for him to go from Athletico Madrid (2nd in La Liga at the moment) to a PL club where he could get regular starts. Will such an arrangement be acceptable to him?

You talked about moving MIkel and keeping Matic: I doubt any other club would take Mikel even for free. Reg.Johnson, Ferreira, Bosingwa n Azpilicueta: Johnson was not a very outstanding player when we sold him in 2007 to Portsmouth. His game improved by getting regular playing time at Portsmouth. He was not a starting quality player in 2007 and Ferreira was better than him. You cannot compete for all trophies (2nd in PL and CL runners up in 2007-2008) and give playing time to youngsters at the same time. Reg. Malouda, Marin & SInclair: Sinclair was sold in the summer of 2010 after we won the PL title in 2009-2010 with Malouda playing a very important role in our title victory. Malouda's performances may have regressed a lot since then but you cant blame the club powers for showing more belief in Malouda than Sincalir at that time. The Marin transfer was probably a punt because he was available on cheap. Similarly for others as well.

The changes he made for QPR from the game before that were: Bertrand, Moses, Oscar and Marin for Cole, Ramires, Mata and Hazard. We were coming of a hard fought win over a physical Everton side. We have been playing two games every week since 17 November, so rotation has to happen. Last night, the first goal that we conceded was not much due to our tactics failing than Cahill getting easily shrugged off by Lambert. You cant account for such mistakes by your players. What changes would you have made? RE Ashley Cole: I like the player. But I also admit that he goes missing for entire games sometimes and the frequency has probably increased. I agree he is the best LB we have ever had but that does not mean I wont point out when he has a bad game. reg. mistakes happening at home only, how do you think Benitez is to be blamed for that?

1. pick the team: he starts one team vs QPR and is criticised. He makes the changes vs Southampton and is again criticised because the result does not go in our favor. 2. motivate the players: If ashley cole does not bother to turn up at games sometimes, what options does Rafa have? Start Bertrand instead? Is this the first time Ashley Cole has appeared to not give a flying f&&k in a game? No. It happened even when RDM was here. It happened when AVB was here. But NO, since he has given good performances for us, he should be absolved of any blame? Does he not bother to turn up because he is tired because of playing continuously? If that is the case, then the board is right to not offer him a new contract as his age is catching up. But dont let things like logic get in your hatred because 6-7 years back benitez said some things about Chelsea fans. Ill-informed criticism?? Tell me what was wrong in what I wrote? When you make a generic statements without pointing out specific faults, you just show how limited your knowledge is. Anyways, have fun. What changes do you suggest he could have made y'day? Do you want Marin to start? After his performance against QPR (where he could have been red-carded) in the opening 5 minutes, I wont blame the manager for not having enough trust in him? Do you think that he should have started Terry yesterday? he is just back from a long injury layoff and looked jaded in the Stoke game. The very fact that you are not ready to blame the players shows that your reasoning has been clouded by your Benitez hate. No use arguing with you.

After QPR game: Rafa's team selection was poor and that is why we did not get full 3 points. After Southamton game: Rafa's subs were poor. That is why we could not get full 3 points. People need to give it a rest and stop blaming Rafa for everything. Why he chose to snub Lampard and not Ramires: Ramires's main strength is his stamina which has often provided a cutting edge in past games. So it made sense to keep him on the field than Lampard. Why did he not bring in John Terry after we conceded the first goal? Terry has been out of the game and match practice for a long time now. Last game when he came on, he looked jaded and gave away a penalty with his first (?) touch. I am not saying it was right or wrong decision but it was understandable. If you want to blame, blame the players. Blame our two full backs. Ashley Cole was a passenger last night and he has shown that side to his game a few times already this season. Azpilicueta was dispossessed and exploited by Luke Shaw a number of times. Blame Frank Lampard, who seems to think more about his goal scoring records than the team. We should have been up by 3-4 goals at half time but for Lampard's greed. Blame Ramires, who was guilty of giving away possession and falling over too easily. Blame Cahill, who was pushed aside like a teenaged girl by Lambert. Blame Mata, Oscar who were pretty much anonymous for long periods in the game.