2 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

sorry Z - but this would only be a relevant argument if we were comparing like to like.

If Guiu (or anyone else) had been given the same opportunities as Jackson, then you could argue this. Also If Jackson had an equal - or even only slightly worse - record, then this could be argued (I.e Jackson has played against better teams)….

….but this is not the case. The fact is that Jackson has had significantly more opportunities but has delivered significantly less than others. The worst goal per min of our strikers. 1 league goal in 2025 (15 or 16 games). A string of car crash performances.

So to disregard Guius record is silly, when Jackson has not been delivering at all (other than against west ham)

Disagree. This isn't about comparison really. I'm not comparing Guiu to jackson or anyone else. Don't give a sh*t about Jackson in this case. I'm simply saying you can't look at the stats and make the assumption that Guiu is our best striker, without taking into account the context of those stats. If he played 1 game against the Bedford Town U11s and scored 14 goals, would he be the best striker at the club?

I thought Guiu had progressed so much and started getting a lot of confidence and looking much sharper! Guiu’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for him (and the club).

Wasn’t the last game he appeared in against a prem club where he had a good game?

38 minutes ago, Zeta said:

Disagree. This isn't about comparison really. I'm not comparing Guiu to jackson or anyone else. Don't give a sh*t about Jackson in this case. I'm simply saying you can't look at the stats and make the assumption that Guiu is our best striker, without taking into account the context of those stats. If he played 1 game against the Bedford Town U11s and scored 14 goals, would he be the best striker at the club?

If Haaland or prime Drogba joined us now - but only played 1 game against the Bedford Town U11s and scores 14 goals - would they be our best striker?

Edited May 8, 20251 yr by nonotnowjim

28 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

If Haaland or prime Drogba joined us now - but only played 1 game against the Bedford Town U11s and scores 14 goals - would they be our best striker?

You couldn't possibly tell from 1 game. Which is what I'm saying. You need context. You can't just look at stats without context.

Jackson

Premier League - 10G 5A 29 games (2205 minutes)

PL contribution every 147 mins

Conference league 2G 0A 2 games (90 minutes)

CL contribution every 45 minutes

Guiu

Premier league 0A 0A 3 games (70 minutes)

No PL contribution

Conference League 6G 0A 6 games (284 minutes)

CL contribution every 47.3 minutes

Nkunku

Premier League 3G 2A 27 games (910 minutes)

PL contribution every 182 minutes

Conference League 5G 3A 9 games (636 minutes)

CL contribution every 70.6 minutes

Tyrique George

Premier League 1G 1A 7 games (97 minutes)

PL contribution every 48.5 minutes (albeit both came on the wing, we saw him up top against Djurgarden and it wasn't pretty)

Conference League contribution 1G 1A 11 games (676 minutes)

CL contribution every 338 minutes

Its obvious we need a striker and one will be signed in the summer but as has been the story all season, no one else in the squad is suitable. Guiu looked like he was getting there then got the unfortunate injury. Far too limited minutes to judge, however his energy would at least make him a nuisance. George isn't a striker as we witnessed last week. Nkunku is pointless. We saw Mhueka in the CL and he was out of his depths, wouldn't even like to imagine it in the PL against real footballers.

Looking forward to Summer so we can stop reading the same drivel on this thread.

2 hours ago, Zeta said:

Disagree. This isn't about comparison really. I'm not comparing Guiu to jackson or anyone else. Don't give a sh*t about Jackson in this case. I'm simply saying you can't look at the stats and make the assumption that Guiu is our best striker, without taking into account the context of those stats. If he played 1 game against the Bedford Town U11s and scored 14 goals, would he be the best striker at the club?

We all know Jackson isn't the best striker at the club, so that's possibly a yes - whatever the stats say or don't say.

Again, I'm not talking about jackson, although this is his thread. I am just making the point you can't look at stats like goals per game and form definitive opinions, without taking context into account.

3 hours ago, Zeta said:

You couldn't possibly tell from 1 game. Which is what I'm saying. You need context. You can't just look at stats without context.

1 hour ago, Zeta said:

Again, I'm not talking about jackson, although this is his thread. I am just making the point you can't look at stats like goals per game and form definitive opinions, without taking context into account.

Respectfully disagree. People can, and do, form an opinion about a player based on a single game or a small sample of stats — it happens regularly. Football is a game of moments. A single match can reveal a player’s temperament under pressure, decision-making, technical ability, and positional awareness. If someone plays 90 minutes and looks completely out of their depth, that’s valid input. Likewise, if they dominate a top-tier opponent, that’s not irrelevant just because it’s one game.

Stats — even in small quantities — can also expose trends. If a striker only touched the ball ten times and didn’t complete a pass, that tells you something. If a midfielder had 95% passing but all were sideways five-yard balls under no pressure, that tells you something too. Context matters, yes, but that doesn’t make the data meaningless.

I am not saying that one game or one stat should be the only basis for judgment - but early impressions are often spot on. Waiting until someone’s played 50 games to say what’s obvious after two is just pretending to be objective.

Despite my arguments above, if I were to accept what you were saying as correct - it doesnt make the statement any less true. i.e in this fictitious scenario, the fact that Haaland or Prime Drogba banged in goals against the minnows/minors of Bedford Town U11's - would not alter the fact that they were our best striker (even with a tiny sample rate).

2 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Jackson

Premier League - 10G 5A 29 games (2205 minutes)

PL contribution every 147 mins

Conference league 2G 0A 2 games (90 minutes)

CL contribution every 45 minutes

Guiu

Premier league 0A 0A 3 games (70 minutes)

No PL contribution

Conference League 6G 0A 6 games (284 minutes)

CL contribution every 47.3 minutes

Nkunku

Premier League 3G 2A 27 games (910 minutes)

PL contribution every 182 minutes

Conference League 5G 3A 9 games (636 minutes)

CL contribution every 70.6 minutes

Tyrique George

Premier League 1G 1A 7 games (97 minutes)

PL contribution every 48.5 minutes (albeit both came on the wing, we saw him up top against Djurgarden and it wasn't pretty)

Conference League contribution 1G 1A 11 games (676 minutes)

CL contribution every 338 minutes

Its obvious we need a striker and one will be signed in the summer but as has been the story all season, no one else in the squad is suitable. Guiu looked like he was getting there then got the unfortunate injury. Far too limited minutes to judge, however his energy would at least make him a nuisance. George isn't a striker as we witnessed last week. Nkunku is pointless. We saw Mhueka in the CL and he was out of his depths, wouldn't even like to imagine it in the PL against real footballers.

Looking forward to Summer so we can stop reading the same drivel on this thread.

If you agree that Jackson isn’t good enough — and it sounds like you do, given your final sentence about looking forward to a new striker — then why prolong the agony by continuing to argue in favour of persisting with him? Why would a Chelsea fan advocate for selecting a player who most of us can see isn’t good enough, now or in the long term?

One Premier League goal in his last 15 or 16 matches tells you everything about his trajectory — he’s regressing, not progressing. But more than any stat, just go and watch his recent performances: the lack of composure, the poor decision-making, the heavy touches, the wasted chances — none of that is improving. I know you've watched Jackson week in, week out, so I’m genuinely baffled why you still want him in the side. It feels self-defeating. Maybe you don’t truly believe it, and are just arguing for the sake of it.

We all agree we need a striker this summer. These trite arguments for Jackson’s continued selection feel like an odd hill to die on.

Edited May 8, 20251 yr by nonotnowjim

12 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

Who do you think should play for the final 3 games of the season? If you were chelsea manager, based on the information and evidence you have seen to date (currently as a fan) would you select Jackson - a player most on here deem not good enough?

Hi Jim !

Come on Jim , you've dominated this thread for so long and now you're asking ME to pick Jackson's replacement !! .

I'm beginning to think you don't know ?? That's ok , I don't either !!

Cheers Jim !

2 hours ago, Nibs said:

We all know Jackson isn't the best striker at the club, so that's possibly a yes - whatever the stats say or don't say.

Who IS the best striker available now at the club ? Jim won't tell me.

4 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

Who IS the best striker available now at the club ? Jim won't tell me.

Any one out of Guiu, Nkunku, George, Madueke, Neto, Mheuka, Donell McNeilly, Tosin A, Tore Andre Flo or Maureen the Tea lady.

It doesnt matter who is the best. What matters is that they are all better than Jackson.

Remember remember - if Jackson is the answer, then you are asking the wrong question....

10 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

Any one out of Guiu, Nkunku, George, Madueke, Neto, Mheuka, Donell McNeilly, Tosin A, Tore Andre Flo or Maureen the Tea lady.

It doesnt matter who is the best. What matters is that they are all better than Jackson.

Remember remember - if Jackson is the answer, then you are asking the wrong question....

Hi Jim !

You can only pick ONE player to replace him for the next 3 games you know. I'll put you down as a " Don't know" then .

Thanks again Jim !

I think Nico Jackson with all his faults/shortcomings might just be the best option at this moment.

If he isn't and I accept he's sub optimal, which player is more suitable today?🤔

Well I continue to disagree, and we're clearly not going to agree. So let's stop trying.

27 minutes ago, OneTommyLangley said:

I think Nico Jackson with all his faults/shortcomings might just be the best option at this moment.

If he isn't and I accept he's sub optimal, which player is more suitable today?🤔

"I accept he isnt good enough .... so lets keep playing him, at the expense of someone else who might be good enough"...

Is that really sensible?

31 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

Hi Jim !

You can only pick ONE player to replace him for the next 3 games you know. I'll put you down as a " Don't know" then .

Thanks again Jim !

No - no need to put me down as 'dont know'. If there is a don't care option, you can mark me down for that. In the interim, I will go for any of list I have already given (except Maureen - she has cribbage on the weekend)

The truth is we don't have a better striker option today

Guiu not fully fit and inexperienced

Nkunku isn't motivated and isn't really able to adapt to being a striker

George Madueke Neto are not really strikers

Maureen isn't registered for conference league, nor is her alter ego Marvin alas

So I guess it's down to our enigmatic No.15

Or we play without a striker as such.

Edited May 8, 20251 yr by OneTommyLangley

7 minutes ago, OneTommyLangley said:

George Madueke Neto are not really strikers

Neither is Jackson, he's a wide forward same as those 3, and id trust all 3 to bring more to the team at that position as him.

Jackson can stay in the squad (he can offer something, like Kalou and Tore Andre Flo, before him) and Nkunku can move on. We need a striker. Nothing has changed. We really need a proper striker.

5 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

If you agree that Jackson isn’t good enough — and it sounds like you do, given your final sentence about looking forward to a new striker — then why prolong the agony by continuing to argue in favour of persisting with him? Why would a Chelsea fan advocate for selecting a player who most of us can see isn’t good enough, now or in the long term?

One Premier League goal in his last 15 or 16 matches tells you everything about his trajectory — he’s regressing, not progressing. But more than any stat, just go and watch his recent performances: the lack of composure, the poor decision-making, the heavy touches, the wasted chances — none of that is improving. I know you've watched Jackson week in, week out, so I’m genuinely baffled why you still want him in the side. It feels self-defeating. Maybe you don’t truly believe it, and are just arguing for the sake of it.

We all agree we need a striker this summer. These trite arguments for Jackson’s continued selection feel like an odd hill to die on.

Because the other options aren't as good. I've watched the team with Nkunku up top. I've watched us with kids upfront. We play better with Jackson up top as a team.

The point has always been there are no other options that help this team. Guiu was the only realistic alternative and he got injured at the wrong time.

6 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Because the other options aren't as good. I've watched the team with Nkunku up top. I've watched us with kids upfront. We play better with Jackson up top as a team.

The point has always been there are no other options that help this team. Guiu was the only realistic alternative and he got injured at the wrong time.

With the body of evidence available about how bad Jackson is, this is a baffling perspective - particularly when other options have hardly been tried or tested.

14 hours ago, OneTommyLangley said:

The truth is we don't have a better striker option today

Guiu not fully fit and inexperienced

Nkunku isn't motivated and isn't really able to adapt to being a striker

George Madueke Neto are not really strikers

Maureen isn't registered for conference league, nor is her alter ego Marvin alas

So I guess it's down to our enigmatic No.15

Or we play without a striker as such.

The sentence I have bolded in your post Tommy is also as relevant to Jackson.

He's not a striker either. He's a converted left winger!

4 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

With the body of evidence available about how bad Jackson is, this is a baffling perspective - particularly when other options have hardly been tried or tested.

Guiu was the only realistic option.

We had enough pain watching Nkunku try to play the role as a seasoned pro with experience.

1 hour ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Guiu was the only realistic option.

We had enough pain watching Nkunku try to play the role as a seasoned pro with experience.

Disagree with Guiu being only realistic option… there were multiple different solutions, none of which were ever tried for any reasonable length of time.

If the role can only be played by Jackson - then change the role.