do we have any pulling power left??

and if not why not??

as far as i have seen so far this closed season, everyone we've been highly linked to (fair enough its all speculation and paper mongering) have all joined other clubs, with Glen Johnson deciding on liverpool (according to sky)

and tevez looking more likley to end up at Man city, and i cant see villa arriving from spain, who's to blame for this seemingly lack of pulling power

is it kenyon and the executive team??

is it the fact we're now on our 4th manager in 2 seasons, and no one wants to come to the bridge as there is to many insecuritys managerial wise (loose a couple of games and your out)

is it that chelsea are no longer good enough to attract big name players

is it that we do have a plan to bring in some big names, but nothing will happen until july when ancelloti's contract starts??

or is it just me>>

No, it's called not being patient :lol:

Seriously it's June the 22nd, the transfer window has not even opened yet. Give it time and we will have our signings. There is no need too panic, Real Madrid just wanted to get thier signings done asap. It doesn't mean we have too.

Yes, a team that's constant contenders for the league, going far in the CL for the last five years, and a trophy here and there yet we lose our "pull".

It's June, not August.

It's called we're a bloody good f**king team and don't have that many open spots. While it's true that signing Johnson would have likely precipitated a move for Bosingwa, it hasn't happened yet so that had to weigh on his mind. He's instant first choice at Liverpool. Also, in his case, he was here before and allegedly lost his love for football. That's all well and good since I nearly lost mine watching that stooge try to defend.

I think 'missing out on Johnson' is a massive blessing. We dont even need a right back and hope we have just pushed up the price on Liverfool.

How many players out of all the ones we have been linked to are actually true. Us and City are linked with everyone so take it all with a pinch of salt.

Very few players out there can get in our side, i only expect 1-2 major signings with no wholesale changes to the squad nessasary.

Having a new manager as well might slow things up a bit because he will want to assess the squad before deciding who he thinks he needs.

I'm happy with the calibre of player being linked with us at the moment after a couple of seasons with no real investment in the team its quite exciting to be linked with the Ribery's of this world.

Just what is it that makes established players unwilling to come to Chelsea?

Kaka, Aguero, Villa,Johnson and now Tevez. The only transfer was the outflow of Ben Sahar on a modest fee and the link of Deco/carvalho with Mourinho. It's one snub after another (ouch!)

Is it due to the instability of the Gaffer position? I thought Ancelotti is a popular man

One snub after another? I don't think we've actually made a bid for 3/4 of the players we've been linked with in the press and some clubs are clearly losing all common sense after the Real Madrid deals and are asking insane prices even for mediocre players, let alone the top ones. Besides, it's still a week until the transfer window opens, so I wouldn't be too worried just yet. If the situation is the same when the team leaves to USA for the pre-season tour, then I'd start to worry. But now...I'll just wait and see what happens when the transfer window opens.

No, it’s not just you, there is this other bloke from the Times as well. People may want to put their cricket bats away before reading this:

I’m sorry, but who’d want to sign for Chelsea?

Roman Abramovich’s billions and the best managers money can buy still can’t lure the galacticos to Stamford BridgeRod Liddle

NOW here’s an invitation you don’t receive every day. I wonder if, for the next few minutes, you might like to join me in feeling sorry for Chelsea. No, really, come back, hear me out.

I do not mean you should feel sorry for them over Didier Drogba’s suspension for four Champions League games. The punishment seemed to me bizarrely lenient, and the club is pushing its luck with an appeal. But then, my punishment would have been to hang Drogba by his toes from a high-tension power cable while spraying him with water, just to be sure.

I still do not understand why Chelsea the club have not been clobbered with more vigour, either. It is not the first time a blameless Scandinavian referee has received death threats and required police protection after officiating in a game in which Chelsea were beaten by a much better team. And while Chelsea cannot be accountable for every kidult maniac who supports the club, the epic, petulant rage shown by their players must have encouraged such a reaction.

The general view of British football experts after that fractious semi-final seemed to be that Chelsea wuz robbed. I did not think so then, and, following the final, everyone else sort of retrospectively agreed with that analysis. Barcelona were indisputably the best team in Europe …quot; and it gives me no pleasure to say this, because I can’t abide them either. I wanted FC Cluj to win the trophy.

No, the sympathy I wish to evince is only indirectly linked to that Stamford Bridge debacle.

Faced with a tough Champions League group campaign in the autumn, Carlo Ancelotti will be anxious to secure the services of a marquee striker, a superstar. But he is not likely to get one, because, for a host of mysterious reasons, the very top players do not wish to play for Chelsea. That small band of galacticos who can genuinely turn a game, while at the same time ensuring a rapid turnover in replica shirts from Inchon to Indiana, always seem to spurn the chance of playing at Stamford Bridge. They seem to view the succession of desperately importuning Chelsea managers in much the same way as Guards Polo Club viewed the application of Katie Price.

It is an odd business. Roman Abramovich seemed determined to ensure Chelsea became not simply the best team in Europe but also the most gilded. On both counts he has so far failed.

The list of players who have decided against a move to west London is long and a little humiliating. No Kaka, no David Villa, no Ronaldinho, no Andrea Pirlo, no Steven Gerrard. Even Robinho preferred the dubious, perennially underachieving madhouse of Middle Eastlands. The refrain has been the same each time, stolen from Elvis Costello: I don’t want to go to Chelsea. Perhaps, after a degree of pleading from the manager, they will get the sub-galactico Carlos Tevez …quot; but the smart money is on him, too, preferring to make a shorter journey across Manchester.

It is true that Chelsea got Andrei Shevchenko and Michael Ballack …quot; but they are almost as old as I am. Perhaps they will eventually get Kaka, when he’s about 49. Right now they are in pursuit of the CSKA Moscow forward Yuri Zhirkov, which, on account of the way his surname is pronounced, is good news for those of us with a puerile sense of humour and a deep dislike of Chelsea. Perhaps they could find a Spanish player called, say, Roberto Tossa to partner him up front. That would keep me in stitches for a good few months.

One assumes that Abramovich is offering the same sort of salaries as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Juventus et al, even if it might fall short of the lunatic amounts being expended to ensure that Manchester City achieve mid-table respectability next season.

Nor can it be said that Chelsea have fallen terribly far short of their owner’s ambition, in terms of winning trophies. David Villa is much more likely to earn a Champions League winner’s medal at Chelsea than Valencia, for example. And Robinho more likely to be appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University than win one at Manchester City.

Further, the club have had a succession of the best managers money can buy and an owner who is second to none in his wish to appropriate success.

What, then, is it that stops the likes of Kaka from joining Chelsea’s so-far forlorn attempts to win the top European prize?

Those gilded moppets from the south of Europe and America complain about the weather in Britain, but it does not stop them signing for Man United and Liverpool. You suspect it is something more elemental; that they simply don’t believe in the club, that it is still seen by those players at the very highest level as an arriviste, or a castle built on sand that will one day soon sink. This is only a guess.

Anyway, apologies, sympathy over. As the Chelsea fans sing every time they beat Spurs, normal service is resumed.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/rod_liddle/article6543486.ece

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/rod_liddle/article6543486.ece

Is he supposed to be a professional journalist? Even if I wasn't a Chelsea fan, I'd be embarrassed to be the editor in chief of a paper that has such bitter hacks on their payroll.

That's some article. It manages to set a new record for factual inaccuracies spiced up with bottom of the barreal rabble rousing bullsh*t. And yet again (see the comments) Chelsea fans are portrayed as either plastic JCLs or the worst set of hooligans in the country.

You know how it reads to me? As a publicity hungry hack (third or even fourth rate puts it too mildly) so-called journalist desperate for the attention and the publicity that one of these mythical Chelsea death threats might give him. Who knows? Maybe some spotty little twat somewhere will write on a forum somewhere of his desire to do physical harm to this Liddle person. Then wwhat? A nice little payoff in the form of compensation, who knows, he may even be able to tap in to some of Abramovic's small change.

Pathetic.

you sure that article wasn't copied from a West Ham Fanzine?

you sure that article wasn't copied from a West Ham Fanzine?

Summed it up with ''This is only a guess'' - Yeah, and a way off the mark one.

The better side won that semi at Stamford bridge? They had one shot in 90 minutes!

What a poor effort from a wind up merchant.

No transfer news, no internationals, I don't do tennis. I know, I'll make some sh*t up about Chelsea.

Is he supposed to be a professional journalist? Even if I wasn't a Chelsea fan, I'd be embarrassed to be the editor in chief of a paper that has such bitter hacks on their payroll.

The Rod Liddle article, if you can call it that as opposed to a predictable, tiresome, oft regurgitated anti-Chelsea rant, has to be put into its proper context. Remember that the Sunday Times had to bite the dual bullet of Manchester United disappointment at the weekend. Not only did they have to make their own end of a bad week assessment of the Ronaldo saga, cushioning it in ‘never-mind-just-look-at-all-the-cash-they’ve-now-got-to-spend’ sympathy, but the United loving broadsheet also had to come to terms with Tevez not wanting to play for the bestest team in the country - unbelievable!

This doubling up of a damage limitation exercise proved far more difficult to concoct and in the end they had to rely [yet again] on wheeling out good old Roddy (boring or what?!?!) to tell their readership that nobody wants to play for Chelsea, at all, ever, and that this situation compares oh so favourably with that of the Mancs, who only have little Carlitos to worry their lovely heads over. Never mind the fact that Liddle had written much the same sort of guff about Drogba and Chelsea only a few week earlier - he really has no respect for his readership - it is so sad to see such a lack of class on the sporting pages of what was once a respected newspaper.

Just what is it that makes established players unwilling to come to Chelsea?

Kaka, Aguero, Villa,Johnson and now Tevez. The only transfer was the outflow of Ben Sahar on a modest fee and the link of Deco/carvalho with Mourinho. It's one snub after another (ouch!)

Is it due to the instability of the Gaffer position? I thought Ancelotti is a popular man

go away octville, theres a good lad. on that "article", unfortunately thatarticle will have had single brain celled tits up and down the country agreeing, simply because they are as bitter, twisted and thick as him.

oops we do have pulling power

we got sturridge from man city

Just what is it that makes established players unwilling to come to Chelsea?

Kaka, Aguero, Villa,Johnson and now Tevez. The only transfer was the outflow of Ben Sahar on a modest fee and the link of Deco/carvalho with Mourinho. It's one snub after another (ouch!)

Is it due to the instability of the Gaffer position? I thought Ancelotti is a popular man

There's a bus leaving in 10 minutes, please be under it

Just what is it that makes established players unwilling to come to Chelsea?

Kaka, Aguero, Villa,Johnson and now Tevez.

Ok - who out of that list has ACTUALLY "snubbed" us?

Kaka and Johnson.

Kaka was only ever going to go to Madrid, and I for one am quite happy that we had the sense to baulk at paying 18 million + 100k per week in wages for someone of Glen Johnson's standard.

Is he supposed to be a professional journalist? Even if I wasn't a Chelsea fan, I'd be embarrassed to be the editor in chief of a paper that has such bitter hacks on their payroll.

He liked us too!

Wouldnt surprise me if he is a spud or a blue dipper.

He liked us too!

Wouldnt surprise me if he is a spud or a blue dipper.

He is a Millwall fan, bluemoon, and revels in their 'dark' past and 'little bit of this, little bit of that' status. The best thing about them going out in the play-offs last season was that Rod Liddle was there watching them blow it.

Ribery to choose Real Madrid? Translation: No one wants to play for Chelsea

Chelsea's billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich, has just bought a £288m yacht, with built-in missile defence system. He could have got almost four Cristiano Ronaldos for that. Except... C-Ron would never have signed for Chelsea.

I wouldn't be surprised if Roman bought the yacht to cheer himself up, because he must feel like every star player he wants to bring to Chelsea rejects him.

Steven Gerrard said no. Kaka said no. Ronaldinho said no. David Villa said no. Even Glen Johnson, who once played for Chelsea, chose Liverpool over his old club. And it seems more than likely that Carlito Tevez will choose Man City instead of Chelsea. Deco and Ricardo Carvalho want to leave too, not that they will be badly missed.

Manchester City is the hot new destination for those mercenary footballers who feel that £60,000 a week is just not enough cash. Which leaves Chelsea in a spot of bother.

Gerrard, Kaka and co. snubbed Chelsea for the simple reason that the club is universally disliked, and no one craves unpopularity, except for Michael Ballack, who doesn't care what people think of him - he is German and therefore unpopular by birth.

John Terry reportedly wants Abramovich to splash out on Franck Ribery, but it seems the Frenchman favours Real Madrid. And put yourself in the Frenchman's shoes: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Man Utd are also chasing you. Who would choose Chelsea from that group?

Now Michael Essien's agent has issued the following statement:

"Some clubs are interested in Michael... He likes Chelsea very much but football is football and if Real Madrid, Barcelona or some other club make an offer, he needs to sit down and discuss what is best for him."

I'm sure Essien will stay, but it's hardly what Abramovich and Ancelotti want to hear right now.

And therein lies Chelsea's problem. They have the cash, but not the stature to compete with Europe's historically big clubs. If Chelsea were a second-tier club, competing for second-tier players against the likes of Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham, they would find it much easier to make fitting signings. Perversely, because they have more money than those clubs, they find it extremely difficult to attract quality players. And what use is cash when you can't spend it? Oh well, at least the manufacturers of obscenely expensive super yachts are happy to take Roman's money.

Link

It's from 'Who Ate All The Pies' so we should hardly give it a sh*t.

However, we've have had enough of these articles over the past week and I think the fans and the club should respond. In what way though?

Edited June 24, 200917 yr by kalpitv

Ok - who out of that list has ACTUALLY "snubbed" us?

Kaka and Johnson.

Kaka was only ever going to go to Madrid, and I for one am quite happy that we had the sense to baulk at paying 18 million + 100k per week in wages for someone of Glen Johnson's standard.

I don't think we were ever actually going for Kaka, just papers claiming we were, then laughing when the inevitable happened.

So only Johnson, and I'm glad he snubbed us

I prefer to think that we didn't want any of these players but were just trying to drive up the price for teams we don't like, ie Real and Pool....it's funnier that way.

I don't think we were ever actually going for Kaka, just papers claiming we were, then laughing when the inevitable happened.

So only Johnson, and I'm glad he snubbed us ;)

Wilkins admitted we talked to Kaka in an interview.

Wilkins admitted we talked to Kaka in an interview.

we may have talked to him but it doesnt mean we put a bid in.

we may have talked to him but it doesnt mean we put a bid in.

That really doesn't make much sense, though - we obviously wouldn't be talking unless there was a bid in the making. We were surely in for him and our interest was more than casual, I figured.

Then again, I might be wrong - at least that's what I gathered from the Wilkins interview