Spudulike

Cock up - sketched it out roughly and typed it wrong. Shd read: Llories Walker-Dawson-Vertonghen-Ekotto Huddlestone - Dembele (slim chance of being fit) Lennon(if fit, Sig if not)-Bale-(and, change here) Holtby Defoe/Ade (former is obvious preference) I like Holtby alot; v good workrate. Hoping Dembele makes it.

Swansea are treading water so they are there for Wigan to take. Newcastle - a shocking lack of interest and effort after last year. Players seem not to care. That's my impression.

If I was a multi-millionaire, would I go to Ikea, of my own free will, to buy anything? Is it him? Looks scruffy - is JM that casual a dresser? (the questions that occured to me on seeing picture). Hope it's true though.

We're not a one-man team...we could defo (ahem) rest him...for sure...

Tough question. I'd play 4 - 2 - 3 - 1: we might as well be positive and that's been one of our strengths this season. (using a mobile so excuse lack of positioning text. Vertonghen - Dawson - Walker - Ekotto Sigurdsson - Huddlestone Lennon (if fit) - Bale - Defoe Dembele (if fit) or Adebayor if not (he's overdue a good game) Dembele playing will make a big difference, obviously. Huge difference, rather.

Bale at a resurgent Chelsea, possibly under JM: not a happy prospect for anyone other than Chels. If a domestic team wants him, I assume it'll be before 2015 for FFP reasons. Europe is more likely but, though he's a big fish in our pond, it's a challenge to move to Europe and do well. In Europe, he'd get more protection from refs, however. Bale will be key for us on Wed. Without him (soz for being bleedin' obvious) the odds would be a lot more in your favour.

This is worrying. If he's in a maze-like Ikea store, htf is he going to get out in time for the new season?

P.s. good debate by all posters, btw.

I'm finding it hard to disagree with your arguments! With a player like Bale, it's tempting to play a game that creates chances for him. Linking into other poster's views, the emergence of Bale poses the question 'do we - like Arsenal - want to be a team that, for whatever reasons, sells its standout players?'. It could be argued that Wenger is trying to create a team of cogs and that he's looking for medium term rewards (fans won't keep waiting for a team with Arsenal's resources to achieve). Spurs have Bale and selling him now would send out a signal that we don't see ourselves getting better. It would be a white flag - saying 'we want to be there or thereabouts' rather than winning. I think we have to accept, and seek to deal with, the issues you identify, as a price worth paying to keep Bale and, if you know what I mean, keep the vibe of progress/confidence. (I hope that, after sketching out our future, we don't now flog Bale for £55,000,000, to someone.

Good point about trying a European campaign (whether CL or UEFA) and the premiership. We've found that a real problem because of the lack of strength in depth, imo. I agree also that we'll need to outdistance the Gooners on merit and, tbh, we're close but not yet breathing down their necks. I disagree about one thing. Though it's often decried, you can build a team around an exceptional player. If Bale stays, it'll be seen as a sign that Spurs mean business and that he, for all the possibilities that are open to him, thinks we're going places. We've some players who would get into any team and are only getting stronger. The next season will be crucial - we'll have to build on this year, maintain the momentum and keep the sense of drive that (apart from Adebayor) the team displays.

I think that's true (or you'd hope it was). There are only a few sides, accustomed to regular success, whose fans would be faced with that (false, imo) choice. The Gunners are exception because Wenger has been so public about his lack of interest in the domestic cups. I don't know how the Arsenal fans are so patient (or easily satisfied?).

Well put re. the Gooners. They are very, very sound financially but won't invest in the team if it means breaking their self imposed wage cap. They are running a business, and the accounts seem to be more important that trophies. There's no heart in them. It seems wrong that anyone can say 'we want a top four finish more than the FA cup'. That's a whole different debate but, imo, if that's a person's view, where is the passion for the game and for glory?

No worries Graham; this is a Chelsea site so I know Spuds aren't going to be flavour of the month :-) I can't call Wed game. Could go either way.

Just noticed, 5810 replies...nearly 6000 views expressed about one player. Good point.

Link to Ferrari story:- http://www.motortorque.com/car-news/abramovich-gives-mourinho-limited-edition-ferrari-612-scaglietti-worth-2m-15457.aspx

I heard that item as well. Apparently, the car was one of only five, four-seater models made. JM received the two million pound car, as a gift, five months after leaving Chels (as you say). I found the story interesting because of the insight it offered into RA's way of doing things. Even if you are v wealthy, a two million pound gift isn't a drop in the ocean.

Yep. The Gooners and Wenger are stuck in this odd pattern of working v hard to get into the CL, then - in the new season - putting all their efforts into a rubbish CL campaign, at the expense of doing anything domestically other than qualifying for the next year's CL. Defo why van Persie left; didn't want to look back on his career and say 'yep, we sure did qualify for the CL lots'.

You are a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks.

Wed will be v close, I reckon. I can't call it - we are not firing on all cylinders and Chelsea weren't much of a threat to Utd today. Both sides will be up for it on Wed. The main difference between how each team will approach the game is in the fact that, for us, a top four finish is now the only game in town.

You can see the long term effects of the fall of a great team by looking at the Scousers. They still can't believe, 20 years later, that they are not number one. That's funny but a similar decline at Man U would be something to savour. I wonder how many London-based Utd fans would stay loyal?

Agreed. Utd fans have got such a sense of entitlement that they literally can't comprehend what's happening, when they don't win. And the players' reaction to the sending off was classic: 'A red card, at Old Trafford?!! How very dare you?'

Fair play, he did. Trains also ran on time. That guy has had such a bad press, over the years.... :-)

There were some Chelsea fans on 606 saying 'give RB the job, permanently'. I'm not getting into that debate but Chelsea are ending the season well.

Yep. There are those fans out there but, if you chat to Spurs fans, some will admit (being honest) that we've done better this year than some of us thought. We've punched slightly above our weight in a (apart from Man U) very tight season. I think that we'll do very well next year - this season has been (that cliche) setting us up for next year. Like I said (and this applies to Chels too) the fact that we're relying, to varying degrees, on other teams cocking up, to get a top four spot shows that we could have done better this season.

Can't convert soz. I am v sympathetic to Chels. Re. Spuds fans, sure I am in a small minority so keep the prejudice going! :-)