Just now, pacquiao said:

How about you try giving some of your own opinions in future rather than criticising people for giving theirs. Enjoy your day. 

If you care to actually read I have expressed my own opinions, however I do not feel the need to force the same opinion down everyone's throat every single day, until they agree with me

4 minutes ago, Osgood is Good said:

If you care to actually read I have expressed my own opinions, however I do not feel the need to force the same opinion down everyone's throat every single day, until they agree with me

I'm sorry you feel that way.

sigh.... i thought the "hes scoring goals in an everton team!!! imagine if he was at chelsea and got even better service!!!" got put to bed on the internet years ago???

seriously, this has to be one of the dumbest and laziest arguments that was ever created and the people that still follow it are generally stupid

the amount of goals lukaku scores for everton means absolute squat when looking at how he would perform for chelsea. not only are the players different, but the coaching philosophies are different, style of play and most importantly...the way OPPOSING teams play against chelsea is a lot different to how they play everton.

conte wants a player that will work and fight on the front, hold the ball up and bring others into play. said player NEEDS to be able to play with their back to goal. running the channels is not necessary unless fabregas is on the pitch so said player needs passable enough technique so that they can link up with other players ala hazard, pedro and co. as much as people like to have a moan about costa being inconsistent, doesn't hold the ball up well enough, bad passer, cant shoot bla bla bla...hes miles ahead of lukaku at all of those things. 

and considering the only striker we've had in the last 10 years that has been able to play in such a role better than costa was drogba, people need to remember that standard and understand what a huge downgrade they're suggesting in lukaku

when i watch lukaku play, especially against the better sides, i feel like im watching an oaf that has concrete in his boots....he has no capacity to hold the ball up, lazy and almost doesnt even bother to challenge or close down defenders and is hugely ineffective off the ball. Dribbles like a prime paul mcshane (and i know dribbling isn't one of costa's crowning skills, but lukaku might as well not even bother).

he can make decent runs down the channels here and there and is also fairly dangerous around the box - i'll admit but he's going to look like a fish out of water just like he did in the past once he realizes that opposition teams will sit deep and put 2 banks of 4 or more infront of him protecting their own goal.

can already see this post offending people on here. to be quite honest, i think some people are a little bit too infatuated with lukaku, perhaps at the detriment of our own club. every year his fans want to make more noise about him and want him to come back. i just haven't seen any improvement in his game outside of his numbers which has already been explained and discussed to death about why it's irrelevant in a chelsea context. to me, he's the exact same player he was when he left.

i feel much more comfortable with a player like morata - who conte not only wants, but suits the style of play and the role that conte wants the striker in his system to fulfill here. and unlike lukaku, despite the inconsistent game time - he's spent his entire career playing against teams that are playing extremely deep, 2 banks of defence etc due to the club(s) he played for.

Edited May 10, 20179 yr by MTF

It's interesting to see how many put faith in newspaper reporting as to who we will or won't sign and which player the manager prefers. We as a club are notorious for keeping our cards to our chest till we make a bid on a player. Pushing the deal though then has been more of the problem but this comes with now being a cash rich club and the selling club wanting to maximize their profit.

The two players currently being bandied around have different qualities. The goal scoring record of Lukaku is undoubtedly outstanding, not even his fiercest critic could deny this. As with all players from a tier down the question is can he adapt his style to suit the team on the whole? The arguments against him are indeed compelling, he does appear to lack workrate and his first touch and play with his back to the goal are still not quite there. He also appears to suffer occasionally from an attitude problem with poor body language in-particular. We have though an excellent coach who will improve his faults providing the player wants to learn and over 20 goals a season is definitely a plus point and a requirement for any team wishing to compete for trophies.His main plus point is he has done it in this league.

Morata is an interesting prospect, I have to be honest not seen enough full games of him to make my own assessment. Technically is does appear to be very good,albeit mainly from YouTube clips which are notoriously inaccurate. I read some feel he is a big game player, though as he hasn't played in many big games I'm not sure what this is based on, as I say I really haven't seen enough of him to judge, others might have and I bow to their superior knowledge. He does though remind me of Soldado who is similarly technically good and with an outstanding scoring record in Spain but failed miserably for Spuds. I do though wonder could Morata lead our attack solely? Has he got enough goals in him to replace Costa. His stats on paper without examining them look very good but closer scrutiny reveals many of his goals are scored in the latter stages of matches when he comes on fresh as a substitute, often the third or fourth goal when the game is dead. In Spain especially with head to head goal difference used instead of a straight divide throughout the season it can be very misleading as often the lower teams throw in the towel once they go two down against the bigger sides as it matters not if they lose 2-0 or 8-0. So the question is will he score enough first goals, the one that is often vital. If it was as backup to Costa with the option of him leading the line from time to time and also played in a front two he would be my choice. Its a pity we couldn't land him at the start of this season. Conte would appear to like him having bought him previously, this of course assumes that he was solely signed by Antonio and not by Marotta who has a similar role to Emenalo here. Would he have flourished under Conte or floundered like Bats has here, this we will never know.

All this is assuming Costa leaves in the summer, reports suggest so...they are big boots to fill. Lets hope the club make the right choice our immediate trophy contending  future could depend on this

35 minutes ago, charierre said:

I read some feel he is a big game player, though as he hasn't played in many big games I'm not sure what this is based on,

8 minutes ago, kiwi1691 said:

How did he play in these games? I honestly can't remember. I note he was mainly played in a two alongside Tevez who will be nature have done the donkey work. Will he be able to lead the line on his own. These are the questions.

2 hours ago, charierre said:

How did he play in these games? I honestly can't remember. I note he was mainly played in a two alongside Tevez who will be nature have done the donkey work. Will he be able to lead the line on his own. These are the questions.

Not true, Morata is a hard working striker like Tevez, Morata probably done more of the donkey work, he would work the channels a lot more, drop off, hold the ball up and link up with Tevez, also making a lot of unselfish runs to create space for Tevez.

as for leading the line on his own I think someone else asked that and I can't really understand why people are unsure, as he has all the attributes to do so. Big, strong, fast, good movement, good technique, hard worker, good at pressing from the front, comfortable with his back to goal, comfortable in wide positions and can finish. 

Edited May 10, 20179 yr by pacquiao

Just now, pacquiao said:

Not true, Morata is a hard working striker like Tevez, Morata probably done more of the donkey work, he would work the channels a lot more, drop off, hold the ball up and link up with Tevez, also making a lot of unselfish runs to create space for Tevez.

as for leading the line on his own I think someone else asked that and I can't really understand why people are unsure, as he has all the attributes to do so. Big, strong, fast, good technique, hard worker, comfortable with his back to goal, comfortable in wide positions and can finish. 

Fair enough in your opinion as you must have seen far more full games of him than myself. I do wonder though why he hasn't been used previously by other coaches on his own?

Just now, charierre said:

Fair enough in your opinion as you must have seen far more full games of him than myself. I do wonder though why he hasn't been used previously by other coaches on his own?

Well at Juventus they always play with 2 up front and this season at Real Madrid when he has played he plays up front on his own like at the weekend against Granada.

Just now, pacquiao said:

Well at Juventus they always play with 2 up front and this season at Real Madrid when he has played he plays up front on his own like at the weekend against Granada.

Fair enough as I say I really haven't seen enough to judge him. The money being quoted is quite substantial for a player who has yet to be classed no1 at the club he is at. Maybe he is ready to step up only time will tell if we pursue the links. To be honest I'm not really bothered who we sign as long as they are a success. If I had a choice at present it would be to keep Costa but that seems unlikely.

 

I notice also you frequently state that he is the player Conte wants, is there any evidence that he wasn't the reason Conte resigned from Juve due to transfer policy. As he was signed around the same dates as the resignation. 

9 minutes ago, charierre said:

Fair enough as I say I really haven't seen enough to judge him. The money being quoted is quite substantial for a player who has yet to be classed no1 at the club he is at. Maybe he is ready to step up only time will tell if we pursue the links. To be honest I'm not really bothered who we sign as long as they are a success. If I had a choice at present it would be to keep Costa but that seems unlikely.

 

I notice also you frequently state that he is the player Conte wants, is there any evidence that he wasn't the reason Conte resigned from Juve due to transfer policy. As he was signed around the same dates as the resignation. 

Conte resigned because he was offered the Italy job, but here are quotes from Morata about Conte

He added: "Conte is the manager who most 'bet' on me, without even ever having had me in his team. I'm very conscious of that: he bet on me for Juventus but left before I arrived; then he wanted me at Chelsea come what may. He knows me better than I could imagine, I'm sure, and that's important: it motivates you to work hard, train well.

"I feel indebted to him because he's the coach that most trusted in me, most wanted me, who made me feel I could perform at the highest level. And yet I've never had the fortune to actually work with him. I'm sure sooner or later I will.

1 minute ago, pacquiao said:

Conte resigned because he was offered the Italy job, but here are quotes from Morata about Conte

He added: "Conte is the manager who most 'bet' on me, without even ever having had me in his team. I'm very conscious of that: he bet on me for Juventus but left before I arrived; then he wanted me at Chelsea come what may. He knows me better than I could imagine, I'm sure, and that's important: it motivates you to work hard, train well.

"I feel indebted to him because he's the coach that most trusted in me, most wanted me, who made me feel I could perform at the highest level. And yet I've never had the fortune to actually work with him. I'm sure sooner or later I will.

Conte left due to transfer policy . The Italy offer came later http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/antonio-conte-resigns-as-juventus-coach-due-to-differences-over-transfer-policy/

Just now, charierre said:

Conte left due to transfer policy . The Italy offer came later http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/antonio-conte-resigns-as-juventus-coach-due-to-differences-over-transfer-policy/

Oh yes I think it was because he wanted Cuadrado and wanted ensurances that Vidal and Pogba wouldn't be sold.

So i'm not sure how many remember or how many were on the forum back then but, there was a fella here in 2012 who claimed to be very close with Todd Kane.

 

He would tell us that with 100% certainty, Lukaku was a running joke on the training pitch due to how bad he was, The Butt of most of the jokes bordering on bullying. As with all posters of that nature we ended up in some pretty big arguments on here and not sure what happend to him. 

 

Now that he could be coming back, the same rumors seem to be surfacing, apparently it was a bit more common knowledge then we would have believed at the time. Be interesting to see how that dynamic affects his attitude towards a move, maybe he has a chip on his sholdure, 

13 minutes ago, barak81 said:

Now that he could be coming back, the same rumors seem to be surfacing, apparently it was a bit more common knowledge then we would have believed at the time. Be interesting to see how that dynamic affects his attitude towards a move, maybe he has a chip on his sholdure, 

Or, conversely, feels he has a point to prove. 

Most of the players from his first spell at the club have since left so potentially returning he probably wouldn't have to face up to his former bullies. 

 

6 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

Or, conversely, feels he has a point to prove. 

Most of the players from his first spell at the club have since left so potentially returning he probably wouldn't have to face up to his former bullies. 

 

A chip on sholdure is no bad thing as a motivator. Personally I would prefer morata by the way

Just now, barak81 said:

A chip on sholdure is no bad thing as a motivator. Personally I would prefer morata by the way

My prediction is that if Costa leaves we'll sign both Morata and Lukaku and we'll play 3-5-2 next season. 

There was a lot of talk last summer of being linked to various forwards (Lukaku and Morata included) and the rumour was that Conte wanted to play 3-5-2. Because of how late we concluded our transfers we started the season playing four at the back but we soon switched to three. Michy was paired with Costa as a sub a few times at the start of the season and Hazard has been pushed up further alongside Costa as part of tactical changes throughout the season too. 

If Costa stays, I think Conte might still lean towards 3-5-2 if possible and he might sign Morata to compliment Costa as I think Lukaku would try to take up the positions Costa wants to. 

20 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

My prediction is that if Costa leaves we'll sign both Morata and Lukaku and we'll play 3-5-2 next season. 

There was a lot of talk last summer of being linked to various forwards (Lukaku and Morata included) and the rumour was that Conte wanted to play 3-5-2. Because of how late we concluded our transfers we started the season playing four at the back but we soon switched to three. Michy was paired with Costa as a sub a few times at the start of the season and Hazard has been pushed up further alongside Costa as part of tactical changes throughout the season too. 

If Costa stays, I think Conte might still lean towards 3-5-2 if possible and he might sign Morata to compliment Costa as I think Lukaku would try to take up the positions Costa wants to. 

Morata reminds me of Gudjonson, excellent at bringing those around him to the game, and capable of getting goals as well. Teddy Sherringham was another. So that works, but Alot of this depends on who we keep and sell.

 

A forward set up of..

 

Kate..... Matic

.....Fabregas/ Hazard....

S1 ...........S2

 

It pains me not to see both Fabregas and Hazard in the starting line up. Also has much as i love matic we may need a more forward thinking athletic center mid next to Kante, 

Morata is definitely a 15-20 goals striker but in this day and age that isn't enough without other sources of goals. Morata would be an excellent signing if we could somehow add another 20-goal scoring player. 

Lukaku  probably won't improve our overall play as much as Morata but he is capable of getting 25-30 on his own, which might make him a 'cheaper' option as we won't have to break the bank for another player.

1 hour ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Morata is definitely a 15-20 goals striker but in this day and age that isn't enough without other sources of goals. Morata would be an excellent signing if we could somehow add another 20-goal scoring player. 

Lukaku  probably won't improve our overall play as much as Morata but he is capable of getting 25-30 on his own, which might make him a 'cheaper' option as we won't have to break the bank for another player.

What makes you think Morata is only a 15-20 goal a season player? I have always felt as soon as he plays an entire season of regular football, he will score 25-40 goals a season, he is too good a player not to.

Lukaku on the other I have my doubts whether he can score 20+ goals at a top team. 

Edited May 10, 20179 yr by pacquiao

2 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Morata is definitely a 15-20 goals striker but in this day and age that isn't enough without other sources of goals. Morata would be an excellent signing if we could somehow add another 20-goal scoring player. 

Lukaku  probably won't improve our overall play as much as Morata but he is capable of getting 25-30 on his own, which might make him a 'cheaper' option as we won't have to break the bank for another player.

Having a player that improves your overall play should naturally increase the goals for those around him as well

JUST BUY THEM BOTH FFS

2 hours ago, pacquiao said:

What makes you think Morata is only a 15-20 goal a season player? I have always felt as soon as he plays an entire season of regular football, he will score 25-40 goals a season, he is too good a player not to.

Lukaku on the other I have my doubts whether he can score 20+ goals at a top team. 

That puts him in Jimmy Greaves territory in a time before football was invented. Think you've let your praise of him get a little bit exaggerated. 

40 goals a season in English football!!! 

As good as morata is/can be, that level of exageration is just mind blowing. 

Honestly wont be surprised if he has an average first season of transition into english football.

42 minutes ago, charierre said:

That puts him in Jimmy Greaves territory in a time before football was invented. Think you've let your praise of him get a little bit exaggerated. 

Obviously a typo, he will score 25-30 goals a season for us.

Edited May 10, 20179 yr by pacquiao