Rag

Now there's a post almost as reliant on past glories as our strike force. Our attack cost us last season, it cost us the season before that, it will cost us this season as well. Our inability to tackle the issue has been the elephant in the room for years.

How come we've got Oscar and Rodriguez? It's not impossible, just difficult.

Yep, young South Americans will never get a work permit.

Just because Jose is happy with them doesn't mean he's right. We need that scouting network of ours to unearth a good young striker to fill an obvious gap in our line-up if the option isn't spending £30-40m on a second top striker. The only issue then is making sure they play in front of a 36 year old has-been and Torres.

I agree we need one more striker, otherwise I can't see us overhauling City again this season, you can only play so many of our 20 odd midfielders. So, it's either convert Schurrle to a number 9 or go for Martinez or Finnbogason. Of course the most sensible option would have been to keep Lukaku, but we don't seem to do sensible very often. Edit: Finnbogason has already gone to Real Sociedad! There's a real lack of promising and available strike talent out there.

Is it?

Don't see Ivan scoring those.

http://nirsportz.eu/stream1.html

Got Oscar to score and Chelsea to win at 6/1 Banker

Taxi to Stoke for Ryan Bertrand. Can't see why he'd want to stay around, Jose never puts faith in players that aren't already established. Whatever happened to getting the most out of the current group of players? Our best right-back can only get a game when our dwindling first choice left back is injured.

In regards to Ba it's an assumption I'm making going on our attempts to move him on in the last window. Lukaku, Torres and Ba is far from the best attacking line-up I can imagine us having, so much is hinging on how good a season Torres has this year and while the signs are there, we all know it could easily go either way. It also depends on wether we stick with one up front. I'd be happy with Bertrand and Van Arnholt covering the left-back position as they have come up the ranks, but I'm not convinced in either of them. Still I certainly don't think we need a CB in January and until certain players are let go and we decide what to do with the wealth of young midfielders we've got on the books I don't see why a January bid for CM is required more than an adjustment in tactics to make the most of the very good squad we already have.

Lukaku in Ba and Eto out though, so we're left with two strikers in a World Cup summer and even if we go with Bertrand as Coles long term replacement it still leaves us short in that position.

Not constantly using Lampard/Ramires is what we're desperate for, what about KDB? MVG? Personally think we should start the search for Coles replacement and a new striker before a midfielder/centre back

"Chelsea are poised to spend £50m on Marseille midfielder Giannelli Imbula, 21, and FC Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, 22, in the January transfer window." I know it's just paper tosh, but surely we have far more important positions to strengthen.

Not if he found himself in that position before the ball was played.