Wigan v Chelsea

[lauren]

small matter of an EPL game tomorrow after having scored 10 goals this past week.

who is playing?

can we continue with our goal fest? I don't see why not.

how long before JT is back?

[Jack]

Our most recent away games in the league were typical Mourinho style wins - 1-0 at Bolton and 2-0 at Boro. With all the fun and games at SB the past week - 3 wins, 12 goals and entertainment all the way - that fact may have escaped a few people. Now we have a situation where the 'new' Chelsea has been well and truly unveiled. Can we revert to the old style of functional play, where the 3 points are paramount and the way we do it isn't? Or will it be seen as 'failure' if we win 1-0 in the old way?

I'd be happy with the 3 points and no more injuries ahead of Schalke away but I have a funny feeling Wigan are the sucker-punch that's been waiting to happen. If A Farm Grunt thinks he can play the expansive way we have been at a Premiership ground (even that of lowly Wigan) he may be in for a shock.

I predict a draw.

[Nibs]

Hope you're wrong big time Jack.

I used to think I was the typical pessimistic Chelsea fan but you've taken things to a new level.

You are clearly still pining for the special one - why not meet up with Bluenut?

[Sofa Manager]

--------------------Cech-------------------

Belleti------Alex------Carvalho---Bridge

------------------Mikel--------------------

-------Essien-------Lampard-----Malouda

----------Joe Cole-------------------------

-----------------Drogba-------------------

2-0 to us.

[Jack]

Hope you're wrong big time Jack.

I used to think I was the typical pessimistic Chelsea fan but you've taken things to a new level.

You are clearly still pining for the special one - why not meet up with Bluenut?

I think I'm pining less for Mourinho now than I was 3 weeks ago but this new philosophy (which I believe reads something like "lets win with style") can only lead us backwards, to the days of entertaining play but up and down results. It's my opinion (and only my opinion) that those of you enamoured with the 6-0 the other day will be equally pissed off when we drop points to absolute w**k because the team all went forward in a bid to entertain and left the back door ajar. I think tomorrow may be a case in point and I don't want to be the "I told you so" that tells you so - I'm big enough and stoopid enough to say what I think will happen, and we don't look secure enough or competent enough to blaze a trail at each and every ground in the country and get away with it - someone will do us at some point.

Pessimism has nothing to do with it - I'm a realist. The Arse are too inexperienced and dodgy at the back to win the title, and Liverfool have the Spanish waiter to screw things up for them - only Fergie has the experience, strength in depth and players to win the title. It's quite easy when you look at it. Unfortunately we will have too many things to trip us up, only a miracle could win it for us. As the season goes on players will begin to look elsewhere. We have 4 top players going away for up to 6 weeks, and the way we have started to play is suicidal at times.

Just my take - if you see something else, fair do's!

[BLUENUT]

I'm not pinning for Jose, I'm a realist, and do have concerns with the way OUR club is being run and the way it has conducted itself lately. Can we no longer question who is running our football club? Do we have to like the way they do it and agree with them?

I'm perhaps not as pessimistic as Jack with regards to Wigan, but we are only on honeymoon with Avram. A win at all costs is needed in this fixture, and the performance doesn't matter. Arsenal have fell out of the title running playing less actractive games against the likes of Bolton for as long as I can remember. Thats what Champions cannot afford to do!

You get the same amount of points for a 6-0 win as you do for a 1-0 away to Wigan.

Consistancy is whats needed, not goals galore, weither knocking them in or conceding.

Manu didn't start the season at all well, but were able to grind out the 1-0's when they needed to, without playing well.

There are rumours that all is not well behind the scenes, Clarke, Cate, Drogba, Lampard, SWP are just a few names to mentioned. Not saying in the slightest that I believe it all, but the 6-0 has gone some way to make us look in different directions. And you cannot dismiss everything you don't like in the press as lies and accept what you want to hear as the truth.

The honeymoon will soon be over and it's only then can we take stock and see what we're left with.

I would like a side that consistantly wins and is competing for finals and trophies at the end of every season, but we've just got rid of a manager who delivered those in abundance so we'll just have to wait and see if Avi, and his 'style' measure up.

Stlye and entertainment at all costs doesn't win football matches or bring success.

Oh, and I'd gladly have a pint with Jack

[Chippy]

Entertaining football is what Grant has said he is trying to bring and that wont happen overnight, we have all seen a change and although the football going forward has improved with speed of passing, more crossing, better movement, more use of width even, some either dont want to see it or just call it Jose's style.

ok it has not always worked and defensively it is riskier(I dont even take the Liecester game into account with this) but it is going to take a bit longer than this to get the players to know their roles and whats expected of them.

Grant will learn how to grind out a result against tough opposition (like Jose did) but I hope leaves that tactic at home when we are easily winning and go's for the jugular (like Jose didn't)

people forget the times we sat on 1 or 2 goal advantages and played out a game so boringly that the most exciting thing that happened was when a full back strayed to near the half way line.

we might go at Wigan gung ho and lose the game, we might draw or we might win with a gound out result but one thing that looks likely is if we are playing good enough and get a lead the excitement wont go out of the game until the last 6 minutes when the team who is still only 1-0 down realises they may as well sling everyone forward because somehow they are still in with a shout.

only my opinion but although I rated Jose highly I really dont feel he got everything right and dont expect the next man to.

[BLUENUT]

people forget the times we sat on 1 or 2 goal advantages and played out a game so boringly that the most exciting thing that happened was when a full back strayed to near the half way line.

Some also forget that we demolished sides 4-0 (Wigan at home) West Ham away 4-1 put 6 against lowly Macclesfield. We also beat Man City 3-0 at home last season. We know Jose could thrash sides if he wanted or needed to.

If you also look at the scoring totals while he was manager you'll find we scored the most goals over his 3 years!

I just don't buy the entertainment arguement.

Can Avram win ugly, and will he get slated for doing so, the same way Jose did? An ugly win is whats needed at Wigan, I'd go for 1-0, but can totally understand where Jack is coming from.

But IF Avi can deliver another 6-0 I'd gladly take it

[Alan]

Cech

Beletti

Alex

Riccy C

Bridge

Maka

Lampard

Essien

Joe Cole

Drogba

Kalou

Subs: Carlo, Ben Haim, Mikel, Malouda, Sheva

2-0 Chelsea.

[Chippy]

people forget the times we sat on 1 or 2 goal advantages and played out a game so boringly that the most exciting thing that happened was when a full back strayed to near the half way line.

Some also forget that we demolished sides 4-0 (Wigan at home) West Ham away 4-1 put 6 against lowly Macclesfield. We also beat Man City 3-0 at home last season. We know Jose could thrash sides if he wanted or needed to.

If you also look at the scoring totals while he was manager you'll find we scored the most goals over his 3 years!

I just don't buy the entertainment arguement.

Can Avram win ugly, and will he get slated for doing so, the same way Jose did? An ugly win is whats needed at Wigan, I'd go for 1-0, but can totally understand where Jack is coming from.

But IF Avi can deliver another 6-0 I'd gladly take it

Bluenut I remember those games with pride but do you also remember the Champions league games with Liverpool when we had the far better team but went out home and away as if we were defending a lead?

we could argue this till the end of the season as we seem to view the game and what we get out of it in different ways,

I would take entertaing footballl and a good chance of winning things all day over a slightly better chance and strangling the life out of games, especially games we could and should have gone out and played in i.e turned it on a bit.

also I would love to see Grant do well and although Mourinho is a legend in my house as well as yours, I could see wrong in him and wont just talk about his good points.

Cheers

[Nibs]

I'm with you on this one Chippy.

Of course I was sorry to see the end of the Jose era. It's all been said before time and time again but he brought us unprecedented success and was loved by all of us and we'll be for ever thankful. But things had started to turn sour and the football was getting pretty bloody dreadful. Look back on the posts on this forum about "like watching paint dry" etc etc and this was not just now and again but pretty much the norm. It's okay to grind out results but we were often grinding out results at home against teams we should have been taking to the cleaners. And what about the hoof it to Drogba tactic or put JT up front when all else failed? I personally never want to see us play like that again, even if it means a 1-0 win instead of a 3-3 draw.

Of course there are times when you do have to play ugly and I'm not referring to either Dowie or Keown. But I would agrue that wigan is the sort of game where you need to grind out a 1-0. The only teams Wigan have beaten at home this season so far are Middlesborough & Sunderland. Yes you get the same points for a 1-0 as you do for a 6-0, but I know what we'd all prefer and there is such a thing as goal difference and look how far we were behind Man Utd on that count last season - it's worth an extra point come May.

[abramovich]

I see nothing has changed around these places.

Is it me or are some posters just looking forward to us losing a match so they could come back here and say "Told you so"?

I hope we keep winning, i hope Grant does even better than even the most optimistic fans expect him to and 'll still extend my support to him even when the things get tough(and they will).

You may be mad at Roman for the timing and the manner of Jose exit(although none of us know the details of what happened behind the closed doors) but why not support the man in charge? He's doing the best he can and is in charge of a) a squad he hasn't assembled, and :) a squad he had no time to prepare for the season.

If Grant fails, so does Chelsea. And then what?

[Chippy]

Nice to see Nibs and Abromovich views nearer my own on this,

I dont want to prove right or wrong with anyone else who's opinions differ..I.E Bluenut, Ethical, Jack etc as we are all on the same side and have taken the seasons events in different ways and deal with them differently, I couldn't count the number of posts by these fella's that I have agreed with in the past and dont doubt that will happen in the future,

It just seems time to forget the past, the good and bad of Jose's reign, forget our views on why he went and get behind the new regime with a bit of optimism,

we should all be praising things that go right instead of finding excuses for why they did.

comparisons will always be made but we have to welcome the change and not use Jose's results as a yardstick to beat Grant with if he mucks up here and there.

lets KTBFF and stick together behind the team.

Cheers

[The Moos]

Finally I've just got to ask. What does KTBFF stand for?

[Chippy]

Finally I've just got to ask. What does KTBFF stand for?

Keep the Blue Flag Flying Moos,

your up too late mate

[ozboy]

Wigan away should be 2.0 We need the 3 points to be sure, and there is no good reason not to get them.

Our defence has been much more solid lately, Paulo has looked like a new player on both the right and left and between him Belletti and Bridge we are starting to get the wing back situation sorted.

Midfield is also looking good, and now that JC and Kalou are staring to run into scoring form we have a few more avenues to goal.

So long as Cech, Carvalho, Lampard and DD stay fit most teams will find us a handful.

[The Moos]

Finally I've just got to ask. What does KTBFF stand for?

Keep the Blue Flag Flying Moos,

your up too late mate

Should have known that

Oh, well. Nice to learn something new

[Chippy]

Wigan away should be 2.0 We need the 3 points to be sure, and there is no good reason not to get them.

Our defence has been much more solid lately, Paulo has looked like a new player on both the right and left and between him Belletti and Bridge we are starting to get the wing back situation sorted.

Midfield is also looking good, and now that JC and Kalou are staring to run into scoring form we have a few more avenues to goal.

So long as Cech, Carvalho, Lampard and DD stay fit most teams will find us a handful.

Paulo will be missed as he was coming into some good form,

hopefully Bridge will be in as his replacement although Malouda is decent at LB.

be good to keep the run going and hope we can get in front early so Drogba can have a rest and Sheva can get some more game time.

[Enrico]

I see nothing has changed around these places.

Is it me or are some posters just looking forward to us losing a match so they could come back here and say "Told you so"?

I hope we keep winning, i hope Grant does even better than even the most optimistic fans expect him to and 'll still extend my support to him even when the things get tough(and they will).

You may be mad at Roman for the timing and the manner of Jose exit(although none of us know the details of what happened behind the closed doors) but why not support the man in charge? He's doing the best he can and is in charge of a) a squad he hasn't assembled, and :) a squad he had no time to prepare for the season.

If Grant fails, so does Chelsea. And then what?

Then Roman abandons us like a soiled disposable sex doll. The players who are only here for the money will leave, followed by an influx of young British players who have always wanted to play for CFC asking only lodging and 2 meals a day in return (includes Super Frank of course). We get relegated, us gloryhunting bandwagoners f**k off to where we came from, and the PEOPLE will have "their" club back!

[Chippy]

Wigan away should be 2.0 We need the 3 points to be sure, and there is no good reason not to get them.

Our defence has been much more solid lately, Paulo has looked like a new player on both the right and left and between him Belletti and Bridge we are starting to get the wing back situation sorted.

Midfield is also looking good, and now that JC and Kalou are staring to run into scoring form we have a few more avenues to goal.

So long as Cech, Carvalho, Lampard and DD stay fit most teams will find us a handful.

spot on with the prediction, well done mate.

sounded on the Radio like we were pretty decent first half and then saw out the second half.mat letiss said if they had scored we would have scored again.

The points in the bag are great and third place looks more like it

[Alan]

2-0 Chelsea.

[undertow]

[The Moos]

Two nice goals and a clean sheet. Great stuff!

However we were kinda sloppy a few times, especially in the 2nd half.

[JT26CFC]

that belleti goal

very nice, just ran right up. Nice to see lamps score too. Best part was Liverpool tied to blackburn, we're in third place, and wayne bridge returned. But i missed the game, did Drogba put any effort into this game?

[The Moos]

that belleti goal

very nice, just ran right up. Nice to see lamps score too. Best part was Liverpool tied to blackburn, we're in third place, and wayne bridge returned. But i missed the game, did Drogba put any effort into this game?

Yeah, he did but in my oppinion not as much as he usually does. He did however get a yellow card for a stupid thing he did.

Great to have Bridge back but to honest he didn't do much. It took a long time before I even realized that he was on the pitch. I missed his forward runs. But still, nice to have him back.