MataHariHazard

1) Irrelevant whether he was going for the ball. This is not about a tackle during a game, this is a kick on a ballboy! There's no excuse. I agree with 2,3,4 7) is ludicrous. There doesn't need to be any evidence he was trying to hurt the kid. He kicked him. 8) Shows how low footballers have sunk when a millionaire kicks a ballboy just for holding onto the ball. The only way this gets saved, and Hazard avoids a lengthy ban, is if the ballboy does something publicly to help Hazard. otherwise he's screwed

Look, opposing fans, most of them wouldn't have watched it and they'll believe what they read in the papers tomorrow, and that it will be a disgraceful kick on a kid from an overpaid footballer. This is what the consensus will be. And if the FA's puppetmaster Ferguson gets involved you can expect the book to be thrown at Hazard. you're kidding yourself if you think this will just blow over by tomorrow because fans don't think much of it.

Yeah well he has to go. But so do a few other things.

A straight red is a 3 match ban ordinarily. You think this is just a normal red card? Come on...

Of course, the kid's a trouble maker. Never let him ballboy again, that's what I say. But there are all kinds of people trying to get a rection from players. But that's no excuse. The players just cannot get involved. And to kick a kid in the ribs...crazy.

Wanna bet? I think he'll be banned for the rest of the season. Hazard was stupid to get involved. And the guy above is probably right, the police will be called in now.

Benitez and the players blew it in the home leg.

Hazard will be lucky to play again this season. Or at least after the FA get onto it. The last person to kick someone not on the playing field was banned for quite some time. And this is a kid, so even worse. Hazard was a disgrace. I should change my name. That said, Chelsea don't deserve any docked points for Hazard's stupidity. And that kid should not be allowed to ballboy ever again.

I don't have any other account, and haven't had. You can ask the mods if you're that suspicious. Thanks for the warm welcome though :) No divine right to win the group, true. But the striker situation should have been dealt with by Di Matteo, one way or the other.

I didn't say won the group easily. You added the easy part to change my point into something you could argue with. Do you disagree that Chelsea should have won that group or at least qualified? If not, then why are you arguing? Do you disagree Luadrup is doing a good job with the resources he has? Do you think the game tonight is easy? yes it's tough largely because of the awful result before. A win against Arsenal is not something to complain about. 42 goals in about 17 games is defensive...ok

Not the easiest group no. But Chelsea are the best side in that group. Against the two competitors, 4 points from 4 games is the reality. By the way, who is the girl in your avatar photo?

So when more fixtures occur, Benitez form will drop off, and Di Matteo will be shown to be the better manager, right? Then I'll agree with you. Until then, they seem about even to me, neither good enough. Both underachieving with a top side. Nobody is going to convince me that Chelsea are not good enough to qualify from that Champions league group. Should have won the group. Besides, I'm comparing their first spell in charge. Di Matteo's would include a 2-0 loss at home to Newcastle, a 4-1 loss to Liverpool who poor that year, a loss to Man City. Are these 10 games the ones you mean when you say Di Matteo had tougher games? Anyway lets hope we win tonight,,will be a tough game, Laudrup's done a good job so far at Swansea.

Well I think fans would be better spent directing their anger at the real problems, which aren't some spanish manager who will be gone in 5 months who is giving us similar results as before. Some people seem to thinK I'm saying keep Benitez. I'm not, clearly. I don't rate him or Di Matteo, I do rate Villa Boas, and think he might have been worth sticking with. And after all, this is a forum, it's about debate. Would you prefer nobody gave opinions different from yours?

I don't understand why people can't just disagree with valid points (as some have) rather than call someone who disagrees with you a troll. Bit unnecessary really. As I said, you can say it is easier fixtures if that's what you believe. And then over time Benitez - who is not good enough to manage the club - will be shown to have a worse record than Di matteo - who is not good enough to manage the club. IF over time that didn't happen, you'd be shown to be wrong, correct? I don't agree that the fixtures have been that easy. For example Stoke away is a very tough fixture. Sure it's not United, but nobody else wins at Stoke, it's not an easy fixture. Everton, Arsenal, Man City. Not easy. Now I was accused of not comparing like for like, but I see others doing that. After all, you can't compare Ferguson in a job for 20 years, with a manager in a job for 1 year, it's not very fair. Likewise, you can't compare Di Matteo after half a season, a summer and transfer window, and then another half season, given that he'd already been at the club prior to managing, with someone who has just come in. You compare their first x games. In this case Di Matteoin first spell W4 D3 L3, Benitez W6 D3 L2 (that's one more game obviously). If you want to compare with Di Matteo's 2nd season in charge, you'd need to see Benitez's 2nd season in charge, and I think we all agree that won't happen. prioritising the CL, easier games? These are all possible reasons people can use to explain the situation, but they're not facts are they. When Benitez has a worse record in the league, comparing like for like, then you can say he's worse. Until then he currently has a better record. And given the circumstances, hated by the fans, and therefore the players must not have quite the same respect, these results have been surprising. I agree with those who talk about some very poor results West Ham, QPR etc, that's a valid point. Not qualifying from a group that has Njords, Juventus and Shaktar is pretty dire too though. By the way, I don't believe Benitez came in at a difficult time, I believe it is in difficult circumstances, i.e. nobody wanting him to come in. that can't be easy.

Well you can argue there have been easier games. However, the league record of Di matteo, over two seasons, where he has had the summer to pick some players and form a plan a nd should be familiar with the enture club, is P22, W11, D6 L5,or 1.77 points per game, and for Benitez under difficult circumstances coming in mid-season with fans against to a new club, he has returned 1.91 points per game. So no, Di Matteo does not have a better league record. This is the kind of delusion I'm talking about. Easier teams? Maybe. If so, then his record will be much worse than Di Matteo's as more games occur in the league. It may well be, and then he should be boo'ed and criticised and removed, but I don't think you can argue that in each manager's first spell taking over the job, Benitez has the better record. You can call it easy games, call it prioritising whatever. Doesn't matter to me. The results are the results, the rest is your opinion. It's easy to say I'm misinformed, it's harder to prove it when you're making false statements that Di Matteo has the better record. As above, he doesn't in the league (so far!). Maybe in a month he will have. Benitez is not the right manager for Chelsea, as I said at the start of my first post. For many reasons. But the hate is getting a little embarrassing, and the continued praise of Di Matteo as the saviour is even more so. Judged solely on results, he's doing ok, but not great. Form hasn't really dipped that much, but nor has it got much better. Ba is hopefully a good signing, but I don't think Sturridge should have been sold (at least it was for decent money). Things could be worse. As someone pointed out earlier in the thread, there are even bigger problems at the club, and all this hate for Benitez is just hiding the real issues.