7 hours ago, JM7 said:

Can definitely see Jose winning the EFL cup as they've only got to get past Hull. 

Then I reckon he'll go for the Europa league as they seem to be struggling in the league so far. 

United fans would be quite happy with that I think. 

Are there any decent teams in the Europa?

With the Europa winners going into the CL I think Spurs and United will be trying to win that, specially if they are behind in the league when the competition gets going again.

I reckon the English clubs are the best in it. I noticed teams like Roma, Schalke and Ajax but no one of real quality IMO.

Did he actually say that Tottenham are the best team in the Premier League?

Because if so he can go f**k himself... as in literally. Good luck with your 6th-place campaign, prick.

11 hours ago, JM7 said:

Are there any decent teams in the Europa?

Roma, Fiorentina, Schalke, Lyon & the Best team in the Prem Hot spurs

Winning Europa league is harder than it looks for English teams, few seasons ago Fergi had  a good go at it and still lost to some Spanish team. The travel to not so glamorous locations, play league games every Sunday, chip in a couple of FA cup games and its out of control. I remember when we won Europa that season, we had to play like 4 games in 9 days at one stage.

I'm sure the United faithful believe they turned the corner after today, but realistically they played a Spurs team offered nothing in attack. Any other team would at least throw some long balls into the box in the last 10 minutes in desperation.

It is hard but it's not impossible. We won it let's not forget and tbf that team we had then wasn't our best team.

On 12/12/2016 at 08:37, Bobbywoodhogan said:

It is hard but it's not impossible. We won it let's not forget and tbf that team we had then wasn't our best team.

I dunno about that - In the second half we showed that we were a creative delight to watch: Hazard+Mata+Oscar was a sublime combination and probably made me remove Rafa Benitez from the dislike bucket. 

7 hours ago, brownindian said:

I dunno about that - In the second half we showed that we were a creative delight to watch: Hazard+Mata+Oscar was a sublime combination and probably made me remove Rafa Benitez from the dislike bucket. 

It still clearly wasn't our best team it wasn't better than any of our title winning sides for one. I'd put that team under our sides in 2006/07, 2007/08, 2012/13. We were inconsist as hell, losing 2-0 leads several times, losing the Super Cup, CWC and leaving both the LC and FA Cup at the semi stages. Not saying we weren't unlucky at times but that season wasn't as good as many other teams we've had.

Edited December 14, 20169 yr by Bobbywoodhogan

On 12/14/2016 at 00:33, brownindian said:

I dunno about that - In the second half we showed that we were a creative delight to watch: Hazard+Mata+Oscar was a sublime combination and probably made me remove Rafa Benitez from the dislike bucket. 

 

On 12/14/2016 at 07:47, Bobbywoodhogan said:

It still clearly wasn't our best team it wasn't better than any of our title winning sides for one. I'd put that team under our sides in 2006/07, 2007/08, 2012/13. We were inconsist as hell, losing 2-0 leads several times, losing the Super Cup, CWC and leaving both the LC and FA Cup at the semi stages. Not saying we weren't unlucky at times but that season wasn't as good as many other teams we've had.

Mazacar was a widely inconsistent combo, worked one game, was nullified for the next four. Infact i wasn't big on the team that season we had Hazard who was great but young, Mata very good but limited, all the old guard were past their best, Torres in the side () literally no depth to the side (we had no choice but to play Turnbull and Marin at times, i mean really?) yet we still pulled off CL qualification, the Europa league and a FA Cup semi. As much as i didn't want Rafa full time he did really well overseeing that.

On 06/12/2016 at 09:50, Jezz said:

I think that's what makes me most sad about this situation.

I understand that he's managing Manchester United, which naturally results in some supporters willing to engage in a war of words or sledging him (I want to see him fail at Man U) but I feel like some forget all the great things he accomplished with us.

No doubt the end was very bad and still fresh in people's minds, but I'd like to think that supporters will remember him for the good times and not the way it ended disastrously.

I am never going to forget what he accomplished & turned this club into the first time with us, we carried on playing the way he taught us, even when he left us,but also I am not going to forget how his 2nd spell evolved around us, he was good for us at times, but also he was very abrasive about the club, players & also the supporters, he transfered players out of the club on a whim because those players have gone on to make good headlines at other clubs, so they where not rubbish to be discarded on a whim just because they seem to touch a raw nerve in him.

So i will thank him for his high accivements at Chelsea, but also remember his black imfamous periods that brought us nought but grief.

Yeah and who's fault is that? 

He flukes back to back wins and suddenly pipes up again. 

23 hours ago, mbh said:

I am never going to forget what he accomplished & turned this club into the first time with us, we carried on playing the way he taught us, even when he left us,but also I am not going to forget how his 2nd spell evolved around us, he was good for us at times, but also he was very abrasive about the club, players & also the supporters, he transfered players out of the club on a whim because those players have gone on to make good headlines at other clubs, so they where not rubbish to be discarded on a whim just because they seem to touch a raw nerve in him.

So i will thank him for his high accivements at Chelsea, but also remember his black imfamous periods that brought us nought but grief.

Although i do agree with most of that, the one thing i don't agree with is the notion regarding the players he sold. De Bruyne yes was an unbelievable cock up, but the others are they really missed? Lukaku wanted to be number 1 and Costa is better, Schurrle was beyond frustrating, Matas hit form this season (ironic) after being average ever since 2012, Luis just couldn't adapt to this league and if he played more that fact would have been brutually exposed and scrutinized, Salah we were merely correcting the cock up we made signing him in the first place, any i forgot? Also what we also have to consider is back in 2014 was pre TV Yokohoma and Nike deals with FFP in full force and we made a pretty worrying loss that January IRRC, we had to sell to buy and those players helped fund the likes of Matic, Costa, Cesc. Not only have those three already won the title and got us 6 points clear this time round, none of the players we sold have won a title since leaving and don't look likely too this season either, infact aside from Felipe none have even been involved in a title race since departing.

I don't think Felipe Luis had trouble adapting to the league at all. He didn't get enough game time that's all and herb he did he was fine.

I'm also not one who thinks selling KDB was a mistake. He hasn't exactly turned City into an unstoppable force. Since leaving he's won the league cup without him we won that and a league title in a single season.

1 hour ago, Bobbywoodhogan said:

I don't think Felipe Luis had trouble adapting to the league at all. He didn't get enough game time that's all and herb he did he was fine.

I'm also not one who thinks selling KDB was a mistake. He hasn't exactly turned City into an unstoppable force. Since leaving he's won the league cup without him we won that and a league title in a single season.

Im not sure, he looked lighweight and was often beaten to easy (think that Palace goal at Selhurst), i think the desperation for Ivanovic to be dropped let to him being seen as better than he actually was, likewise with Baba although Luis wasn't that bad.

11 minutes ago, Argo said:

Im not sure, he looked lighweight and was often beaten to easy (think that Palace goal at Selhurst), i think the desperation for Ivanovic to be dropped let to him being seen as better than he actually was, likewise with Baba although Luis wasn't that bad.

Maybe but from memory he was quite decent. Every defender has a poor game now and then.

Think things are picking up for him after back to back wins?

2 minutes ago, JM7 said:

Think things are picking up for him after back to back wins?

I reckon so, suddenly Top 4 looks likely again. Just shows how fickle the media is. It's like Arsenal they win media says they're different this year yet they lose media says same old Arsenal. The fact is it's early in the season there's time for lots of things to change and every team has bad patches.

7 hours ago, Ivanov87 said:

Yeah and who's fault is that? 

He flukes back to back wins and suddenly pipes up again. 

No sh*t, chiding us for the mess he left. 

It's been a year since the eventual day we sacked him! With the benefit of hindsight, it's looking more like the right decision by the club.

Credit to Antonio Conte for turning around the club's fortunes in a short space of time because many were still bleak about the club's prospects as late as September.

6 hours ago, Jezz said:

It's been a year since the eventual day we sacked him! With the benefit of hindsight, it's looking more like the right decision by the club.

Credit to Antonio Conte for turning around the club's fortunes in a short space of time because many were still bleak about the club's prospects as late as September.

What do you mean it's looking more the right decision. It was the right decision. Even if Conte failed, sacking mourinho was the right decision.

That's your opinion on whether you think it was the right decision, and I'm well aware you're not a Mourinho fan which is your prerogative and one you're entitled to.

We're still halfway through the season subsequent to his sacking. Conte has exceeded all expectations and Jose's start at Manchester United has been underwhelming, but it will take a few years to see whether it was truly the right decision or not.

So far, it looks like the club made the right call despite the difficulty of choosing such a direction.

It will take a few years to properly determine it, but so far it's gone in our favour which is great and as someone who thought it was the wrong decision at the time along with countless others, this season's turnaround under Conte has certainly dulled the pain of losing him last year and made us move on quicker than we anticipated.

Here's hoping our current success continues and Jose falters at Manchester United.

TBH I don't mind off jose does have success at United aslong as it isn't at our expense.

21 minutes ago, Jezz said:

That's your opinion on whether you think it was the right decision, and I'm well aware you're not a Mourinho fan which is your prerogative and one you're entitled to.

We're still halfway through the season subsequent to his sacking. Conte has exceeded all expectations and Jose's start at Manchester United has been underwhelming, but it will take a few years to see whether it was truly the right decision or not.

So far, it looks like the club made the right call despite the difficulty of choosing such a direction.

It will take a few years to properly determine it, but so far it's gone in our favour which is great and as someone who thought it was the wrong decision at the time along with countless others, this season's turnaround under Conte has certainly dulled the pain of losing him last year and made us move on quicker than we anticipated.

Here's hoping our current success continues and Jose falters at Manchester United.

I was a Mourinho fan as @STATS can verify but sacking him was, for me, 100 million percent the right decision even if we appointed the second coming of Scolari as his successor, i actually shocked the forum i was on at the time by starting to turn after West Ham. His second spell was broken and i know people say we should stand by him because of one bad season after everything he has done, being somewhere between 6th and 11th would have been a bad season and i would have remained fully behind him but 16th and one point of relegation in December was unprecedented. Even Hiddink coming in and delivering top four challenging results only just got us top half (we were a few points off top four if we look at the table from when he took over, in fact we were in the top 4 on that hypothetical table before we went in holiday mode post Villa).

Have a team in the PL ever performed that bad compared to the talent they have? We eclipsed even Roy at Liverpool which was unbelievable. If we slipped down a few places due to a few players losing form then we could give Jose a free pass, but the whole squad bar one player and the reserve keeper playing the worst football of their career is on Jose.

All valid points.

I think a lot of support for Jose staying from a large section of the supporter base came about from remaining loyal to him and the fact that he had achieved so much with the club that we felt he was worthy of a chance to redeem himself, but the club made it's call and we just had to stick with them no matter what.

From memory, I think we were the 8th best performing team after Jose left and Hiddink took over. I can't say that those were spectacular results by any means especially with one home league win, but he was a calming influence for the club and someone who most supporters could get behind after his first successful temporary stint in 2009.

It was a bad chapter in our club's history and arguably the worst in the Abramovich era, but thankfully I think we're past it now after some uncertainty at the start of the season.

I'm just hoping everyone involved in the club learnt some difficult, but worthy lessons so events of last season are not repeated again for many years to come.

Edited December 17, 20169 yr by Jezz

1 minute ago, Jezz said:

All valid points.

I think a lot of support for Jose staying from a large section of the supporter base came about from remaining loyal to him and the fact that he had achieved so much with the club that we felt it was worthy of a chance to redeem himself, but the club made it's call and we just had to stick with them no matter what.

From memory, I think we were the 8th best performing team after Jose left and Hiddink took over. I can't say that those were spectacular results by any means especially with one home league win, but he was a calming influence for the club and someone who most supporters could get behind after his first successful temporary stint in 2009.

It was a bad chapter in our club's history and arguably the worst in the Abramovich era, but thankfully I think we're past it now after some uncertainty at the start of the season.

I'm just hoping everyone involved in the club learnt some difficult, but worthy lessons so events of last season are not repeated again for many years to come.

I think he was 8th but there wasn't much in it between 4th and 9th or something so we were still not a million miles off top 4.

If some ways it could be looked at as a blessing Jose and Hiddink destroyed the aura of invincibility they had before last season as they were always the two we pinned for a return when things went wrong before they did come back. That's why Hiddink should have the utmost respect from everyone at Chelsea, he knew it wouldn't have been as good as 2009 and he could have stayed well clear and dined on that, but he came back to help us when we needed it most.