Lampard signs new contract

Finally!!!

Absolutley delighted that he has signed a new deal. The speculation had been immense and its brilliant that he has committed the rest of his career to us.

Maybe we should post links to our favorite Lampard goals?
Heres mine LINK

Was there ever any doubt?

I prefer the one he scored against Bayern Munich in the Champions League 3 seasons back. But anyway, its positive and good news for the club ahead of the new season. And what a time to announce. Confidence sure is high in the Chelsea camp. =)

@LOLLI

Well done,you stood your ground since all the rumours started and stated that Frank wasn't leaving.This makes all Chelsea fans very happy,but I must admit I was also hoping for a new signing but we can't have everything.

#5

Me too. Looks like we really are done this summer with transfers. Hopefully not. I dont want to rant about more signings here as this article is dedicated to Super Frank.

Abs. gutted!

Wasting money that could've been used to pay Kaka's wages.

Scolari is proving a nut.

@Jang - You can rant about whatever you like! :-)

Excuse me while I go and make a couple changes to my Fantasy Football teams. ;-)

Great news; still not sure of the wisdom of giving a 30 year old a 5 year deal but Frank is one of the very few you'd consider it for if you were Chelsea, I suppose. Aside of anything else, it puts a fairly tedious saga to bed before the season starts which is good. Scolari was obviously keen to keep him - can't help wondering how much the desire to put Jose's nose out of joint played a part in this though.

Quotes from both sides suggest (as we already knew) that it wasn't the easiest of processes. Hardly surprising given the nature of the deal I suppose.

Has Lolli been removed from the ceiling yet?

Henry, Kaka is an unrealistic signing. If you dont like Lamps then dont post it on here. Frank has scored 20 goals a season over the last 4 years. He is absolutley vital to this team.

More reaction from Frank

"I want to finish my career at Chelsea. It is something I've said many times and after signing this contract I am very happy and positive I will finish as a player here.

"I want to be a big part of the next five years and hopefully more for Chelsea.

"It has taken a while to get the deal done and there has been a bit of compromise on both sides but I am delighted we have managed to get there.

"The Chelsea fans have been great to me and I want to repay them for their support.

"I am very confident that I can maintain a very high level of performance for the next five years.

"I am really looking forward to the new season under the new manager and with our new players and the current squad there is a great feeling we can build on the successes of the last few years."

The England star's pledge will be music to the ears of Luiz Felipe Scolari as he bids to mount a challenge for domestic and European glory in his debut season as Blues boss.

Scolari said: "I am delighted that Frank has committed his future to the club. He is a key player for me and vital to Chelsea's future successes.

"Frank is one of the best professionals I have worked with. Every day he tries to learn something and bring new elements to his game."

Lampard is the latest player to commit his long term future at Stamford Bridge after Petr Cech, Michael Essien and Wayne Bridge all signed new deals this summer.


To everyone who thinks this deal is not worth it for a player whos 30. All you should do is look at his record. He didnt peak until he was 26-28 and he despite missing over 2 months of action last season he still managed 20 goals. As far as im concerned Frank can stay at Chelsea until hes 37 as long as he can maintain the level of performence he has given in the last few seasons.

"Has Lolli been removed from the ceiling yet?"


I'm sure Lolli will be in a fantastic mood wanting to hug and kiss everyone within arms length.
Lolli you're welcome to celebrate round my house tomorrow the wife is working late ;-)

As good as it is to see Frank stay, I hardly think it warranted a "World Exclusive"
tag on the official web site, perhaps they're papering over the lack of movement in so far.

AAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*takes deep breath*

AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so, so happy..i've actually been crying tears of joy tonight!!

Guys, i love you all...time for a group hug methinx!!!

No doubt Franks agent is already drafting up the heads of agreement for the follow on contract, with negotiations due to start next week.

Kiss the badge Frank.

Lolli, you are a star!!

Brilliant news....Absolutely delighted!

.....they must of tickled his bum with a lump of CELERY....

Good news on Lampard. Very Good.

But what does this mean?

Do we idolize and worship him as we did before? Or just clap politely.
While we hide from the wrath of Lollie.

And what will become of Ze German? Will Scolari Remove him from the Starting line-up, Preferring Deco?

And Ivanovic? He exists, Seems Good. Keep him.

And what of J. Cole? With all the rumors circulating about him, Who knows?

And finally, what about our fantasy-magical "Jigsaw completing" Attacking signing? I have not seen Robinho at Heathrow so Who knows?

Fucking anti-Chelsea SSN cunts. They would rather yap on about Loserpoo than talk about the biggest news of the day. Robbie Keane oh hes so great, the last time they had anyone as good as him they won the league every year. NEWS FLASH!!!
NOBODY CARES. They should try talking about things that actually matter like Franks new contract. Geezus. Merse is the only guy with a bit of sense on there. Every year they hype up the scousers and every year they are out of the title race by october and I expect it to be no different this year. Geezus. Merse is the only guy with a bit of sense on there

I made a mistake on my last post. Sorry about ranting about SSN on a post dedicated to FL. I think that we will play with a 4-5-2 like this.

-------------Cech-------------
Bosingwa--Riccy--JT----A.Cole-
-----------Essien-------------
J.Cole-------------Ze German--
------Lampard---Deco----------
-------------Snoop Drog-------

13JOE13

WTF!!?? Ballack on the left?? Deco would play better there.

--------------cech---------------
--------Riccy-------JT-----------
Bosingwa---------------------Cole
------------Essien---------------
-------------------------Deco----
Joey-----------------------------
--------------------Lamps--------
---------Ze German---------------
-------------Drogs---------------

Or


--------------cech---------------
--------Riccy-------JT-----------
Bosingwa---------------------Cole
------------Essien---------------
--------Lamps-------Deco---------
---------------------------------
----------Ze German--------------
----------Anelka---Snoop---------

Heck they even named the old Blues Bar/Shed Bar after him ;-) ;-)

LINK

hehe!!! Liverpool are getting completley outclassed and the 0-0 score just does not do justice to the Belgiums and they are only missing Gerrard! they are'nt winning anything this year, Rafa's out at the end of the season or before. you heard it here first!

Great news on Frankie staying..... Not sure about the 5 years, but good luck to him. He will be applauded by me this year, badge kissing or not.

Better news still is that Kalou looked great against the Aussies at the Olympics last night and scored the winning goal.... Unfortunately though it means they go through to the next round, so he won't be back at the Bridge any time soon.

Liverpool are a f*cking joke but I find some of the stuff what they say really funny. Keane arrives for £20m at 28 and all of a sudden they are going to run away with the league. Gerrard is the best midfielder in the world according to god damn SSN. Lamps has scored more and made more assists than him for years yet he is still criticized just because he plays for Chelsea. Barry is an average player and the reason they want him so badly is because they are an average team.
I would love to see Tubby go and the Yanks try and find a decent replacement. Im sick to death of Liverpoo. Hope Joses Inter crush them in the CL.

MIKE, Agree totally. Deco on the left is the better option also because Ballack could track back and help out in midfield and he would be nearly useless defending on the wing. Out of ur 2 choices id have to go for the first one with Snoop as the main striker. Maybe go with #2 if Joey Cole gets injured.

@ 16. MIKE12

I for one will certainly worship him as before. This contract should've been sorted out months ago instead of letting it drag on and on needlessly..i always knew he'd stay and am ecstatic at the news..

I will NEVER forget what Frank has done for us and is STILL doing for us season after season. And i don't doubt for a moment that he will keep up the good work. He always does his best for CFC, unlike some, so i say; "well done Lamps"

Pleased it was done & dusted before Sunday, mind..

*post typed with Joker-like grin STILL plastered across face as of 12 hours previously!*

As for the line-ups, that's upto Uncle Phil to sort out. I'm confident that whatever he decides will be the best decision..never know, he may start a rotation system? :S

O.k, I'm readying my tin hat.

I would be more convinced it was a good signing had we not signed Deco.

We've now got : Deco who's 30 with a 2 year deal. Ballack who's 31 with 1 year left and the option of an extension and now Lamps at 30 with a 5 year deal.

Dont get me wrong, glad he's staying but £150k a week for 5 years is a gamble in my opinion.

There's no way Inter will be interested next summer now there's a transfer fee involved, so he will finish his career here.

It's good for the club to hold onto him, but the real winners are Lamps, his agent and Frank Arnesen, who's got a 5 year respite in finding a decent attacking midfielder. I bet he was pleading with the club to get the deal sorted - he's done absolutely feck all since he's been here. What a free-loader.

Wow, Lolli, you really kept the faith! I think it's great that Frank has signed and even after his energy wanes he will still be an inspirational figure to the (hopefully younger!) team. Obviously, the extra year has overtones of sticking 2 fingers up to Jose as well as repayment for years of faithful service but either way, it's good he's staying. So, a testimonial in 3?

While I'm really pleased that Frank's signed a new contract,I'm a bit concerned that our pursuit of Robinho will end up in failure.Surely with all the good players out there,we could have targeted more than one.It doesn't take a genius to work out that Madrid will try to bleed us for every available penny,why didn't we do the same when Robben was courted by them?

If we had more than one target,at least then we wouldn't have put up with the daily rejection from Madrid and we could move on and concentrate on another player or two.
Whatever stance the club takes regarding our forward line,could we honestly rely on Sevchenko and Pizarro to deliver the goals if for whatever reason Drogba and Anelka were unavailable.I know we have Kalou and Di Santo but even though they show loads of promise,I think it would be a season too soon for them both to warrant being our first team selection.
So Kenyon are you going to let us down again and I must admit even though Frank's signing was very good news,the way the club advertised the "world exclusive news"left a lot to be desired.Anyone would have thought we were signing a new world class footballer,not extending the contract of an existing player.If we can afford to pay Frank so much,surely there must be money for a new face at The Bridge.
So come on Kenyon,Buck,Arnesen etc,please justify your vastly overated pay packet,for once,and show us you mean business for the coming season.Because if Manure sign Berbatov,we will behind in the goalscoring league again.
We need Quality upfront not Quantity.

You know, I hate to say 'I told you so'.

Actually, I don't.

I told you so.

Supa Frank absolutely deserves the 5 year deal whether he's 30 or 29. This is about valuation! And he was right to refuse the 4 year contract which would undervalue him by 20%. Whatever, all the freebies Chelsea have cashed in recently would be enough to pay him one more year!

Let the football begin now...

This is exactly what I mentioned earlier.

"Spanish giants Real Madrid are believed to be set to make a €25million (£20million) offer for Ajax striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Real manager Bernd Schuster is keen to bolster his frontline ahead of the new Primera Division season.

Holland international Huntelaar has been linked with a move away from Amsterdam ArenA, with a number of top European clubs, including Manchester United, reportedly interested in his services.

However, it appears that Real are set to attempt to land the 25-year-old after Schuster indicated to the club's hierarchy that he desires another striker in his setup.

Meanwhile, reports emanating from the Spanish press have suggested Chelsea target Robinho has been told he will not be leaving Bernabeu this summer."

Why don't we ever go for this type of player,we need more options up front,am I the only one who thinks this?

Absolutely brill news...I was worried about a consistent and big-match goal scorer with Drogs injured and Lamps gone. Thanks Lamps. A true Chelsea legend. Blues 4 life!

#28

We made a nice profit of 15 million pounds from the sale of Robben if im not wrong. He was bought for 9 million pounds from PSV, went through a phase of serial injuries which dropped his valuation alittle and was eventually sold for 23-24 million pounds. I thought the fee was reasonable but not great.

Lynn (31),

Madrid is only doing this coz they know they're losing Robinho to us.
That's all!

I got this feeling that Kenyon is taking the Robinho deal for granted after he said that "talks are continueing". We wont pay more than 25 million pounds for him while Madrid wants to hold out for at least 35 million pounds. Given the huge ego of both clubs, talks are unlikely to be successful. Both teams wont compromise so Robinho can continue as the slave of Real Madrid. I hope not. One thing is for sure, Kenyon needs to speed things up and try not to put all of our eggs into Robinho's basket. We have until 31st August so lets hope for the best. Dont being complacent Mr. Kenyon!

The fact that they are now targeting Huntelaar speaks volume on having to give up on keeping Robinho.

We'll end up paying them GBP 30 mil plus Pizzaro, methimks!

@JANG
Yes we put money in the bank but lost out on the pitch when he left,how much did we lose after coming second to Manure twice on the run?A bit more than the £15million pounds we pocketed I bet.

@CELERY
I hope you're right but I just think that because we put all our eggs in one basket,we haven't any power to call Madrid's bluff.I still have this nagging feeling we're being used by Robinho's agent to get a better pay packet and a longer contract for him.

#37

Apart from Robinho and Silva who's staying at Valencia, are there any top class wingers left that we could get? Chelsea only want the best in that position so that could be the reason why we are so persistant on Robinho. Scolari doesnt fancy Quaresma for sure. Me thinks he's inconsistant at times too. We apparently have too many players in that 'Kaka' role so everything seems to point towards Robinho being that final piece of jigsaw in the Chelsea puzzle. But whether we get Robinho or not, im expecting Scolari to deliver silverware this season. Thats for sure.

@ LYNN 37

That was their first move but then with the Ronaldo saga and him being treated second fiddle by Madrid changed their minds and strategy and he is now truly opting out, methinks!

As for us putting all our eggs in one basket, well i can't really disagree, can I?

Also, losing out to ManUre purely based on the sale of Robben, you are stretching it there a bit! He is/was a great talent yes but very injury prone as we all know. And you can't forget his heart and mind was set on Madrid anyway.
Does this sound familiar? :-D

@CELERY

I admit losing Robben wasn't the sole reason we lost the league,but you must agree that when Robben and Duff left we lost much of our attacking threat,that's why we're know looking to sign Robinho,to give us that speed on the wings we have been sorely lacking.
I'm still not sure how much Robinho wants to come here.I found this on the net.

"Madrid daily AS claims Robinho feels undervalued at the Bernabeu, where his contract does not compare with top earners like Raul, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Fabio Cannavaro.

Robinho would certainly earn more at Stamford Bridge, where he could expect wages of up to £100,000 a week. But the AS report also claims the Brazilian's overwhelming preference is to remain at Madrid - with an improved contract.

The paper says Robinho has no enthusiasm for English football and has admitted his dislike for the British climate. And, if true, that would seem to fuel suspicions Robinho is simply using Chelsea's interest to engineer a bigger contract from Madrid."

'Blues - Ivanovic not for sale' LINK

Great news that Ivanovic is now being valued in the squad and that we're keeping him. Avoids us having to play the new Bogarde, i.e. Belletti who this season seems happy to sit in the stands waiting for his paycheque. He's got Bosingwa, Paulo, Ivanovic, Essien and probably Mancienne all ahead of him at RB and yet he still doesn't want to leave! Just like Bogarde he can't defend and doesn't seem to try which is shocking for a so called 'defender'.

I agree the "Lamps signs new contract at last" and "Ivanovic not for sale" are both "good news" stories but hopefully when we finally get some football to watch again our press spokesman can turn the hyperbole dial down a notch or three and stop wittering on about "World Exclusives" and Ivanovic being "indispensable".

On the current scale what would the announcement be like if by some miracle Robinho or Kaka did sign for us....

"On the current scale what would the announcement be like if by some miracle Robinho or Kaka did sign for us...."

I predict Olympics-esque (faked) fireworks launched from the roof of the Stamford Bridge stands.

@ LYNN

...I admit losing Robben wasn't the sole reason we lost the league,but you must agree that when Robben and Duff left we lost much of our attacking threat,that's why we're know looking to sign Robinho,to give us that speed on the wings we have been sorely lacking...

Agreed!

I watched the team train in LA that summer and you could visibly see Robben sort of isolated and not really part of the team. He was on his mobile all the time and not really in any group whilst walking about to and from the bus, etc.
Madrid got to his head and he wanted out, plain and simple.I am just happy we were able to get decent money for him and for once it was good business, imho.

Hopefully the reverse is now true regarding Robinho.

This could be Lamps' biggest goalscoring season.
He managed 20 last season and he was injured for long spells, with this contract sorted out, the rest of Europe had better watch out.
Great news for me and my Dreamteam!

------------------------------------------

I know we could do with a player like Robinho, but if that means Joe Cole will be left on the bench, forget it!

We have Kalou as well, who'll have a better season than the previous one if he gets a chance. And if by some miracle, Florent Malouda transforms himself into the player we thought we were getting, it should mean we have enough to win some proper silverware.

Good to see that Ivanovic is staying. We offered Milan an escape route to solve their defensive crisis. Yet they try to step over our heads and demand the option of making the loan move a permanent deal on their own terms. If Ivanovic flops in Milan, they throw him back to us. If he fufils his potential, we HAVE NO CHOICE but to sell him due to that clause which allows Milan the option to make the deal a permanent one. What rubbish is that? We are Chelsea so we wont be bullied into such deals. They buy our player on our term. Mr Galliani is trying to be funny here thinking that he can get Ivanovic on his own terms. Wishful thinking. A total lack of respect for us and not enough sincerity in doing buisness with us.

@ Jang 47

My thoughts exactly Jang.

Milan shafted us royally over Shevchenko, and then wanted him back for free! Then have now tried to take the piss with Ivanovic, whilst at the same time attempting to unsettle Drogba, and not being prepared to discuss Kaka (which undoubtedly is their right.... just as it is ours to tell them to Go Forth and Multiply!)

There is a total lack of respect for us as a club, and I think Milan need to be reminded that their club is not quite as powerful as it once was.

This is a great article about our pursuit of Kaka:

LINK

It seems to echo many of our views on here that the Kaka transfer seems to be a carbon copy of the Sheva saga, except that when/if we do sign him he won't be a hige flop. We'll never stop our pursuit of Kaka as he is Roman's dream signing. Roman signed Sheva because he's his mate but Kaka is something of an obsession for him and the more we read about this transfer, the more chance there seems that we could sign him. A year in the Uefa Cup, being surrounded by a plethora of old midfielders and even older defenders and only Alexandre Pato to talk to as another under-30 year old will surely tell Kaka that Stamford Bridge should be his next home. If that doesn't work Plan B is using Scolari's influence to build up a mini Portugal/Brazil at Chelsea:

LINK

With Robinho possibly coming this summer, that can only help to facilitate a move for Kaka. He'll see that virtually everyone speaks Portugese at Chelsea - Hilario, Bosingwa, Paulo, Alex, Ricky, Deco, Scolari...Robinho. And if that fails to lure Kaka then Plan C is what we always seem to fall back on...money. I wouldn't be at all surprised of he becomes the first £200,000/wk player in the Premiership.

Try and imagine our team for 2009/10:

Cech
Bosingwa Ricky JT Cole
Essien Lamps
Kaka Deco Robinho
Didier

We may not have got either of the Brazilian stars yet, but slowly Roman is building his dream team with the help of Scolari.

KTBFFH

Hello All,

Got a question!
How on earth is Mutu going to pay us 13.6 Mil Quid? I mean he is just an average footballer now playing for a mediocre club in Italy. I am sure even if he has that kind of money, it will be like his whole life savings!
Does he have to part with it? Will he? Wont he put in an appeal for mercy sort?
I just get this feeling that there is no way we are going to get the money from him..
Whats the use of this fucking court order anyway?

And another story, this time from Gabriele Marcotti about the Kaka deal, which they seem to believe will happen next summer:

LINK

The story seems to be gathering pace.

Real Madrid’s stubborn refusal to allow Robinho to swap the Bernabéu for the Bridge has back fired in dramatic circumstances as the Brazilian’s transfer saga hits boiling point.

Robinho has begun a revolt at the club after being repeatedly denied a requested transfer to Chelsea. According to Spanish daily Marca, the 24 year old has retaliated by ditching a press conference that he was supposed to attend on Friday and worse still, he has refused to travel with the squad to Valencia for the first leg of the Supercopa on Sunday.

This comes just 24 hours after president Ramón Calderón personally rejected the Brazilian’s plea to leave for Stamford Bridge when the pair met face to face and the former Santos man was told that there is absolutely no chance of him exiting the Bernabéu. Those remarks appear to have broken the camel’s back, thus, forcing Robinho to resort to these extreme measures to have his voice heard.

The reports coming out of Spain are now suggesting that Madrid will only let go of their wing wizard if Blues chief executive, Peter Kenyon can make an improved bid of at least €40 million.

We all would love to see Kaka in a blue shirt but I just dont see it happening. He even said that Milan would have to force him out if he was to leave. Besides we have 3 of the worlds best attacking midfielders right now and none of them like playing on the wing. Habs, You would drop Ballack, Joey Cole (Whos going to be a Chelsea legend) and Mikel who will be world class by then. I think the quality is in the squad now. Only 1 more addition is needed and its Robinho

#49

The Kaka article seems alittle bullshit to me and Greenlight because we concluded that Galliani doesnt like us. About us having good relationships with Milan, i doubt it because according to reports, we have made Milan pull the plug for Ivanovic by not allowing them an option to sign him permanently. That being said, he could be part of the Kaka deal. Cheers.

#53

It depends. If Deco or Ballack were to leave in 1 or 2 seasons time, Kaka's arrival makes sense. But Robinho is more of a priority now as we desperately need a new quality winger. But i still cannot see Kaka coming for that kind of crazy money. Its just my own feeling but i said the same thing 3 seasons back when my mate said that we were chasing Sheva.

Sheva probably came abit too late. We courted him for 3 full seasons til he's 29 when he joined us. If we are to deploy the same tactic to land Kaka, Kenyon has to make sure that the courtship doesnt drag for too long. Kaka is 27 next season so i feel that the age is just about right where he is at his prime.

Haahahahaha Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has been exposed as a total bufoon. He says Cristiano Ronaldo should be able to play where he likes but when one of his players..Robinho asks to join us and then refuses to travel with the squad. He tells him he has to stay. We havent even done half what they did to Man-Ure. Its Robinho who wants to join us so lets hope he does.

Matt Le Tissier, Roy Keane and even Andy Gray are tipping us to win the league this year.

@ravenous1

I was wonderring a similar thing, until I heard he can still appeal FIFA's decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) - whoever they are.

I'm guessing it'll be overturned, or drastically reduced.

Or he'll have to play back a grand a week or something trivial.

Another report from Spain,I can't wait until end of August when all these stories will stop,at least until January.

Wagner Ribeiro, the player's agent, believes that his client could stay at the Bernabéu and leave next summer for less as he would only have a year left on his contract, but admits that is only a possibility.

"Robinho has felt slightly ignored in some aspects, but he is happy with his team-mates and with Schuster. He loves Madrid," he told AS.

"(President Ramón) Calderón told us that he would not leave for €100m. They are doing with Robinho what manchester United have done with Cristiano Ronaldo.

On offer will be around €5m-per-season and a five-year deal and that could be enough to tempt the former Santos star, who has never said publicly that he wants to leave."

So much for all the stories stating that Robino DID say he wanted to leave.
I've thought all along that we're just being used and the longer this drags on the more it looks that way.

If we can't get another forward maybe we should sign Mutu. He can play for free to pay off his debt and we'll write of £1m for every goal over 25.

great! we still need another striker. according to espnsoccernet.com, zenit st. petersberg has dropped the price for arshavin to about 20 mil. Like Evillyn said, we should definitely have more than one transfer target, because if robinho doesn't get signed, we are lacking in depth up front. the kaka idea is more fantasy than reality, we should be making a push for villa.

Would everyone just stop! Please?

We Have a good squad, Anelka is on fire, Drogba is alwys quality and we have both Kalou and DiSanto, so really, do we lack depth? We have EASILY the strongest midfield in the League. We have the best defence by MILES! Where is the problem?

Our 'transfer' targets:

Kaka- We have enough midfielders thank you!
Robinho- We are not using wingers that much any more.
Villa- A THIRD Top quality striker?

WHY? WHY? WHY?

We do NOT need these players and while it would be nice to get a new winger that can actually fill the Robben- to a lesser extent- Duff void, we do not NEED them.

Mike@62

Mike, I do have to agree with you there ........ I have been sat reading the posts for weeks now and surely the only reason we are going to buy someone is because we can ......... not because we desperately need them?

Pizarro joins Werder Bremen on one year loan,Official Chelsea Site.

#62

I dont want to rant on SWP and Malouda crossing the ball to row Z or fumbling our final pass anymore. I had enough. We need consistancy in deliveries into the box. Only then our strikers can score. We are just short of one more winger, thats all. I dont think Kaka will join us personally.

#64

Thats great news. Now we just need to sell Belletti.

It's absolutely hilarious that people are trying to say that Kaka isn't needed at Chelsea.

1. Ballack isn't even a first team player this year. Essien, Deco and Lampard are all guarenteed starters after doing all of pre-season whilst Ballack will be nursed back from an exhausting Euro 2008.
2. Would i choose the best player in the world (kaka) over Ballack, Joe Cole, Kalou, Malouda, SWP? Of course we all would. Joe has never been a winger because he doesn't have the pace to beat his man and he doesn't score enough goals. Ballack is a central midfielder who has no pace whilst the other 3 wingers are nowhere near being world class. Kaka is the world's best player who single handedly tore apart Utd in the CL two seasons ago and yet some of you think that our attacking midfielders are better than him! No-one seems to have voted Joe Cole the BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD lately!
3. We may have the best defence in the world and the best midfield but attack? Far from it:

Utd: Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Nani, Berbatov?
Barca: Messi, Bojan, Eto'o, Henry, Hleb.
Madrid: Ruud, Robinho, Raul, Robben, Sneijder.
Chelsea: Drogba, Anelka, Kalou, Malouda, SWP, Cole, Sheva.

Does anyone really think that Robinho and Kaka would not be an improvement on any of our attacking players? If so then you must all be suffering from the dillusion which blighted those willing to defend anyone and everyone and Chelsea last year including Avram!

When you see Malouda again walking around the pitch not putting in any effort, Sheva not being able to run, SWP failing to cross the ball, Kalou missing an open goal (remember Derby away last season?) and Joe again struggling to beat his man whilst performing a bad version of a step-over, maybe then you'll think that Kaka and Robinho aren't just wanted by us but needed by us.

And stories linking us with Daniel Sturridge are good news as he has pace which our whole squad has lacked since Robben left.

Never had a proper chance.
Never helped himself either.

He'll regain his form though, because he is quality.

-----------------------------------------

If the Mancs sign Berbatov, Huntelaar, or any other forward who is decent in the air, they'll have the perfect team.
On paper...

Ronaldo Bebatov? Rooney
Tevez


Joe Cole Deco Kalou
Anelka


Nasri Van Persie Rosicky
Abedayor


Keane Gerrard Babel
Torres

There isn't much between us and them, but you're honest you'd have to admit that Berbatov at United would mean big trouble for us.

We do have the strongest midfield. The problem is leaving out Ballack in place of Deco, and Anelka/Drogba in place of Drogba/Anelka, it'll leave us with less goals in the team. If there was a succesful way to include, Lampard, Ballack, Anelka and Drogba in our lineup, we'd have enough firepower to beat anyone.
Including all four of those would come at a cost of pace and agility, and I don't think we'll see all of them on the pitch at the same time very often.

@Habs

You're right. But we really are too cramp in the central attacking midfield role. I see a new winger as more of a priority. Someone who has pace and beats his man to deliver the killer ball. Unless either one of Deco and Ze German leaves next season, we dont have a place for Kaka. Unless Scolari is going to deploy him out wide but thats not his best position.

Like you, my main concern is our cutting edge infront of goal. We need to score more 2nd goals this season to make sure we dont repeat those past mistakes(killing off the game) which caused us 2 points each time we draw. To make sure we do that, we need to create more clear cut chances for our strikers to finish.

A cross to row Z or a misplaced final pass is as good as a chance wasted because all these little things could lead to a goalscoring opportunity. They improve our chances of scoring goals. In short, we still lack precision and accuracy or clinical finishing. Thats why a player like Kaka and Robinho is being courted due the impact they can have in games with their quality to deliver the END PRODUCT. They will address all these problems we have in attack. Not 100% but a significant improvement.

Right, as the clock approaches the magic hour of five in the P.M of a Friday, there's little chance I'll be on the blog between now and the big kick off on Sunday (factoring in Soccer AM, Olympics, Live football, Soccer Saturday, MOTD, a bit of PlayStation, maybe a film and then lastly time for the family ;-) ) so just wanted to pass my best wishes onto the team but, more importantly, my fellow bloggers, for the new season.

Hope all of you going on Sunday are as excited about it as I am, although your seats at the Bridge are a little bit better than Block A, Row A, Seat 1 in my house - aka my armchair.

Strange decision regarding Pizarro. Sure, he's been utter bobbins, but at the moment he's fit unlike Sheva and DD, and available unlike Kalou - none of whom is available Sunday. So we have Anelka to start, and Di Santo and maybe Sinclair on the bench. Worrying. Would have made more sense to me to keep him for a week or two until we got someone else in or fit but who are we to question the decisions made by the club.

@CASHIF

We cant do anything if United get Berbatov. But there is one thing we can do, to match them man for man in attack. How? By improving our finishing infront of goal and create more clear cut chances. To do this, we need a quality impact player upfront who can dribble at pace, beat his marker and deliver good assist in terms of crosses or killer balls. Malouda and SWP cant do that regularly.

Thats why we need Robinho. Our main rival will strengthen even more with the possible arrival of Berbatov. To reduce that impact, we have to make our attack even more dangerous and not some half-assed buildups which ultimately ends with with a cross in row Z or a misplaced final killer ball which gets hoofed up in the air by the defender. Goals goals and more goals. We need to be equipped with everything to score goals. No more of a repeat of last season.

Honestly, About Robinho - At this moment is he as consistent as delivering the end product, the killer ball as we'd like to think he is?
He's 24 and he'll improve no doubt, but I think we're all taking for granted that Robinho will settle and be a huge hit straight away if he arrives.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I know what you mean about the half-arsed build up and wasted oportunities in the final third, but personally I think that was more down to the coaching and the lack of focus the players seemed to have. Almost as if they were taking liberties because they wouldn't be hammered by Grant.

Our attackers will have to be a lot shaper under Scolari and i reckon they will be.

There's also Deco who's bound to add a lot of quality going forward, so we should have more of that 'cutting edge' we're all hoiping for.

@HABS

What are you smoking?


"1. Ballack isn't even a first team player this year. Essien, Deco and Lampard are all guarenteed starters after doing all of pre-season whilst Ballack will be nursed back from an exhausting Euro 2008."

Seriously dude, I want your Drugs.

1.Rooney is a fat, lazy, Disinterested Drunkard who has lost all his pace.
2.Since when has Mr. Berbatov Signed for Man United?
3.Joe Cole Will become a legend for Chelsea, STOP Bagging on him.
4.Seriously, Ballack NOT a starter?
5.Robinho is not guaranteed to be the Brazilian Winging Uber-Messiah you believe him to be.
6.You are forgetting how well we did with our Kack Squad last year.

So How would you fit a team like this in 1 match?

We (somehow) Bought the Following:

Kaka
Daniel Sturridge
Robinho
Villa

Please explain?

Point 6 is one worth considering.

We had a lot of interruptions to our team. Even though we weren't really ever on top form, we pushed them all the way in the league and deserved to win the CL in the final.

It does make you wonder what this squad is capable of if we get more than the mostly mediocre performances we got out of them last year.

Having said that, you could say we had an easy ride in that we weren't given the respect by the rest of the teams in the Prem with our joke of a manager.
Not only that - we're unlikely to ever have as easy a route to the final as we did last time.


On the signings again - didn't Scolari mention a week ago how the days of splashing big money on players are pretty much over, and that the focus will be on patiently bringing young talents through the youth set-up?

PSYCHOFAK.

I hope you're right. Would you just look at the last player to come up from the youth system: Our Dear Old Indomitable Captain John Terry.

We might need 1 of those in the near future.

You think we should blow £70m on Kaka when we have Ballack who in case the missed half of last season was the key figure in us challenging Man-Ure in the Premier League. I take it you also want to sell Joe Cole to Liverpool? I agree with MIKE12. The Squad is excellent and we dont really need anymore additions

Im talking to HABS by the way.

"Joe Cole doesnt score enough goals", Seriously did you miss last season or something? Its very hard to be a consistent goalscorer in a team that includes goal machines like Ballack, Lampard and Drogba. He scored 10 from the wing last year and almost singelhandedly got us to the CC final.

13JOE13

Finally! A sensible comment on Joe Cole!

Habs

Also, Remember how well the last player we bought from AC Milan Did?

"1. Ballack isn't even a first team player this year. Essien, Deco and Lampard are all guarenteed starters after doing all of pre-season whilst Ballack will be nursed back from an exhausting Euro 2008."

Seriously dude, I want your Drugs.

1.Rooney is a fat, lazy, Disinterested Drunkard who has lost all his pace.
2.Since when has Mr. Berbatov Signed for Man United?
3.Joe Cole Will become a legend for Chelsea, STOP Bagging on him.
4.Seriously, Ballack NOT a starter?
5.Robinho is not guaranteed to be the Brazilian Winging Uber-Messiah you believe him to be.
6.You are forgetting how well we did with our Kack Squad last year.

So How would you fit a team like this in 1 match?

We (somehow) Bought the Following:

Kaka
Daniel Sturridge
Robinho
Villa

Please explain?

My feeling EXACTLY. Ballack is a starter in ANY team. Joe Cole was great last season and in pre season. He is going to be a LEGEND. Anyone who wants to drop Joe Cole (Who was stunning last year) needs to get off the drugs and have their head examined.

We have the strongest squad in the league. We DONT need Kaka for GODS sake. We just signed Deco and we have Ballack (Whos just found his mojo), Joey Cole (Whos getting better all the time, Kalou, Malouda (Whos staying unfortunetly but proberbly deserves another chance. And how many youngsters do we have that can play there? Scott Sinclair needs a chance to shine after being put out on loan every time Kenyon sees fit. Kaka would hold back the team. Lampard, Deco, Ballack, Kalou, Joe Cole, Scott Sinclair. Like it or not HABS, they will be here for the years to come.

I find it hard to believe that a Chelsea fan rates Fat Rooney, Ronaldo (Whos had 1 great season and Tevez better than Lampard, Joe Cole and Didier Drogba.

Ok I am going to comment before 13JOE13 starts talking to himself in earnest.

I see a powerful Chelsea team emergin and i THINK the team will look like this for portsmouth:

-------------cech--------------
Jose-----Riccy---JT--------Cole
-----------Mikel---------------
-------------------Lamps-------
Joey-----------------------Deco
-----------Ze German-----------
----------Anelka---------------

subs:Cudicini,DiSanto,SWP,Malouda,Bridge,Paulo,Alex
Essien appears to be injured.

-

Chill guys. Habs is looking at things objectively. No doubt United have a better attacking force than us. Their goal difference in the league last season is there for us to see. But calling for wholesale changes when the team is not yet entirely broken is abit too early.

Yes, i know that 5 of our first team starters are in their early 30s. But it was that steel in midfield, experience and efficiency that got us to where we were last season, an European Cup final. My personal opinion is that we add to what we have and continue building on last season's near success formula. Defense looks good. We have more midfielders than a midfielder's shop at the center of the park. Anelka and Drogba as a partnership should terrorise most defense. So what is it that we were lacking last season? Its more goals. Crucial goals that win us games.

Lets take a step back and look at the supply line. Deco, Lampard, Ballack possibly, J.Cole but that inconsistant SWP and Malouda? I think this is an area where we can improve and MUST improve. Robinho is the only top class winger avaliable in the market for us to purchase. He's arguably the best option avaliable at this moment in time. So why not make every position as strong as possible with top players and match our rivals?

Our attack is inferior to United's to a certain extent and that was possibly the difference last season in the league. We should match them in every department increase our fire power. It would also be great if Scolari can help the team to attack with more fluidity and imagination.

I think our squad would be good enough to win the league provided that Scolari can make our attacking play gel and click on a consistant basis(creating more clear cut chances and scoring more goals per match, no more half-assed buildups in the final 3rd). If not, we need some top class foreign artistry in the form of Robinho, Kaka or Villa although Robinho would be more ideal and realistic as he can play on both flanks. Cheer

JANG

VILLA IS NOT A WINGER!
KAKA IS ALSO NOT A WINGER!
ROBINHO IS NOT FOR SALE!

We look at these things and think: "Hmmmm. I think, because we have money, lets try to break the bank to bring in a player we do not NEED!"

We have 2 Great strikers, a very good and strong and high scoring midfield, and last but not least, a very good if not the best in the world defensive block.

I would prefer Daniel Sturridge to fill in the wing gap because of cost and nationality.

Jang, SWP and Malouda are horribly inconsistent but BPS has said that e will give them both a chance presumebly as subs in MIKE12s formation. They ARENT going to be first team unless Malouda plays really well and Deco has some bad form and that doesnt seem likely. Kaka wouldnt want to play on the wings and Robinho isnt needed AND hes not for sale. I would rather have their spots filled by youngsters like Kalou and Sinclair who dont have big egos and wont mind not being first choice all the time.

Our Midfield is head and shoulders better than Uniteds. Ronaldo had a stunning season but look at the rest of them. Carrick scored like 2 goals all season at best and Scholes and Giggs only managed 7 between them. Anderson failed to score a single goal and Nani...All he can do is shoot from distance. Joe Cole scored 10 goals. Ballack got 9 league goals. Despite 2 months of injuries Lamps managed 19 and Essien and Malouda got a few also. It was only last minute lapses that costed us the title last year eg Wigan, Aston Villa, Bolton. With JT fit all season and no ACON we will be far more consistent this time around

JANG, Try and show me how Kaka, Robinho, Villa, Drogba, Lampard, Joe Cole, Ballack and Essien can function in the same midfield and if you were manager how would you try and keep the likes of Mikel happy when they arent playing?

I agree with Mike that our formation will be either

4-4-4
--------------Cech------------
Bosingwa--JT-----Riccy---Ash--
------Essien----Lamps---------
-Joey-------------Ballack-----
----Snoop Drog---Anelka-------

Subs : Cudicini, Paulo, Mikel, Deco, Sheva

4-4-1-1

--------------Cech----------------
Bosingwa---JT-------Riccy----Ash--
---------Essien-----Lamps---------
Joe Cole----------------Deco------
------------Ballack---------------
-----------Snoop------------------

Before anyone says Deco will be wasted on the wing I would like to point out that him and Joey are attacking midfielders not wingers.

To all those doubters who worry about the age of our squad, remember the old adage:

"Old age and cunning will triumph over youth and enthusiasm every time."

LOL

Scrub it. If were going to play a game, lets go for a 2-5-2-1

------cech------
---terry---riccy---
--mikel---essien--
-jcole--lamps--acole-
---ballack---deco---
--------drogs------

Sub in who and where you see fit, move the wings forward or back depending on the situation at hand. Rotating attacks from the middle of the pitch.

What midfield problem?

13Joe13 really does make some insightful points:

Seriously dude, I want your Drugs.

1.Rooney is a fat, lazy, Disinterested Drunkard who has lost all his pace.
2.Since when has Mr. Berbatov Signed for Man United?
3.Joe Cole Will become a legend for Chelsea, STOP Bagging on him.
4.Seriously, Ballack NOT a starter?
5.Robinho is not guaranteed to be the Brazilian Winging Uber-Messiah you believe him to be.
6.You are forgetting how well we did with our Kack Squad last year.

Ballack is a starter in ANY team. Joe Cole was great last season and in pre season. He is going to be a LEGEND. Anyone who wants to drop Joe Cole (Who was stunning last year) needs to get off the drugs and have their head examined.

Ok then Joe i'll tell you 'what i'm on.'

Ballack will start on Sunday but only because Essien's injured. With a fully fit midfield Scolari has already picked Essien, Deco and Lamps as his favoured 3 as seen throughout pre-season. So that's why Ballack is not a definite starter. You seem to be seeing Ballack through blue-tinted glasses. He may have been very very good for 6 months but he isn't the best player in the world. Essien is the best all round powerhouse midfielder in the world. Lamps is the best goal scoring midfielder in the world and Deco is Scolari's first pick every time he's fit. So expect to see Ballack being given a less important role than last year.

As for your obsession with Joe Cole and your strange apathy towards Kaka, well it's touching yet naive. You may be a pssionate fan but looking at it objectively Joe doesn't come anywhere near Kaka. Joe isn't even the best player at Chelsea, or the PL let alone the world. In a straight choice who would we choose: Kaka vs Cole, Messi vs Cole.

I know who'd lose every time on a footballing front. As a squad player he's great but if we got Kaka then he'd only be fit for the bench. Joe was so stunning last year that we could all see how his performances tailed off for the last few months of the season. How he became strangely ineffective and slow at beating his man. He will always be a fan's favourite but on a footballing front he'll never be the best in the world.

Robinho may also prove to be the next Sheva but he may also be the next Robben as Steve Clarke described on Live from Stamford Bridge tonight. He's someone who can beat his man with pace or a trick and last year he scored 15 goals which is more than Joe.

Our attack at present is nowhere near the best:

Malouda vs Giggs/Hleb/Robben? Kalou vs Nani/Iniesta/Sneijder? Cole vs Ronaldo/Messi/Robinho? SWP vs Tevez/Bojan/Raul? Didier vs Berbatov/Eto'o/Ruud? Sheva vs Rooney/Henry/VDV?

We need better quality attackers to win the CL.

It's not our midfield in question it is simply that we only have 3 out of the 4 departments filled with world class talent with the attack lagging behind. Who out of Cole, SWP, Kalou, Malouda, Didier, Sheva, Di Santo is world class? Who out of any of them would a manager choose over Kaka and Robinho? Who out of any of them has ever been voted one of the best 3 players in the world like Lamps did in 2006 and Kaka did last season?

This was absolutely hilarious:

"I would rather have their spots filled by youngsters like Kalou and Sinclair who dont have big egos and wont mind not being first choice all the time."

Our perfect XI is clearly missing the two attacking midfielders to partner Deco in behind Didier in Phil's 4-2-3-1. And to say that Kaka has a big ego is a joke. As pointed out by Gabrielle Marcotti yesterday, he's shy and one of the most humble players on the planet who is a devout Catholic and gives away %10 of his wages to his local Church. And as for Robinho. Well he is cocky but he would always be first choice when he looks at his competition in the shape of Malouda and Kalou and under Scolari, the best will be brought out of him.

This was also a great point from Joe:

"Try and show me how Kaka, Robinho, Villa, Drogba, Lampard, Joe Cole, Ballack and Essien can function in the same midfield and if you were manager how would you try and keep the likes of Mikel happy when they arent playing."

Well Villa can be removed as we've never wanted him this summer. And the point of buying Kaka and Robinho, which the club wants to, is that Joe and Ballack DON'T PLAY!

Cech
Bosingwa Ricky JT Cole
Essien Lamps
Deco
Didier

These are his untouchables through pre-season and Didier is great at playing on his own. And if we do buy Kaka and Robinho, i think even you can guess how they'll fit in the side. I'll give you a hint. It's in the two gaps which you thought Joe and Ballack could fill.

So discount Sunday as an insight into our first choice XI as Essien and maybe Deco are out. When everyone is fit as we saw in our first game of pre-season our best side is:

Cech
Bosingwa Ricky JT Cole
Essien Lamps
Cole Deco Kalou
Didier/Anelka

And if we sign Kaka and Robinho this is our best side:

Cech
Bosingwa Ricky JT Cole
Essien Lamps
Kaka Deco Robinho
Didier/Anelka

So by next summer if we do have the two Brazilian stars, expect to see your favourites, Joe and Ballack be firmly parked on the bench or at a new club.

1. "Joe Cole is a good squad player"
2. "The Club are buying Kaka and Robinho so people like Ballack and Joe Cole dont play"
3. "Joe Cole and Ballack will be parked off at a new club"

Did I really read this stuff right? Rather than be dragged into an argument I would like to see what the rest of the blog think of Mr Habs comments

"I would rather have their spots filled by youngsters like Kalou and Sinclair who dont have big egos and wont mind not being first choice all the time."

I was talking about the substitutes but with HABS excellent knowledge he feels that the club should spend millions to have the likes of Robinho warm the dugouts.

"As for your obsession with Joe Cole and your strange apathy towards Kaka"
I never expressed any apathy towards Kaka, I think hes the best player in the world but unlike you Im not obsessed with him and dont think we need him.

"You may be a pssionate fan but looking at it objectively Joe doesn't come anywhere near Kaka. Joe isn't even the best player at Chelsea, or the PL let alone the world. In a straight choice who would we choose: Kaka vs Cole, Messi vs Cole." I never said he was better than Kaka or Messi. Maybe you should learn how to read. But he is a winger and Kaka and Messi arent. Joe Cole was our player of the year last season. So he obviously isnt as bad as you would like to think.

13Joe13 really does make some insightful points:

Seriously dude, I want your Drugs.

1.Rooney is a fat, lazy, Disinterested Drunkard who has lost all his pace.
2.Since when has Mr. Berbatov Signed for Man United?
3.Joe Cole Will become a legend for Chelsea, STOP Bagging on him.
4.Seriously, Ballack NOT a starter?
5.Robinho is not guaranteed to be the Brazilian Winging Uber-Messiah you believe him to be.
6.You are forgetting how well we did with our Kack Squad last year.

By the way those are not my point although I agree with them. Thats another blogger who agrees with me and disagrees with you. Ballack walked into our team when he came here and stayed in it all season even when he was playing badly and you think that Scolari is going to drop him in the form he is/was in last season.

"Ballack will start on Sunday but only because Essien's injured. With a fully fit midfield Scolari has already picked Essien, Deco and Lamps as his favoured 3 as seen throughout pre-season. So that's why Ballack is not a definite starter. You seem to be seeing Ballack through blue-tinted glasses. He may have been very very good for 6 months but he isn't the best player in the world."

Ballack started every game when he was fit last season. He hasnt been dropped since we got him and like I said he was playing Kack when we got him. He wont be dropped unless hes in awful form. Deco, Lampard and Essien were the main 3 in pre-season but Ballack wasnt even involved in 9/10ths of pre-season so dont try and act as if BPS chose Deco over him.

"And to say that Kaka has a big ego is a joke. As pointed out by Gabrielle Marcotti yesterday, he's shy and one of the most humble players on the planet who is a devout Catholic and gives away %10 of his wages to his local Church."

This comment is totally irrelevant. I dont care how humble or what relgion he is. His wages and price tag will make other players feel undervalued. Now HABS, Its obvious that you hate both Joe Cole and Michael Ballack and want us to become the new galacticos and sign players for the fun of it. I hope you have fun living in fantasy land.

@ JOE & HABS

Come on lads, calm down..take a deep breath..
As a couple of us on here have said, i don't see any more signings at CFC this season..our squad is a GREAT squad as it is now and i can see us winning the PL with it for DEFINITE and maybe the CL...

Don't argue over potential signings that aren't gonna turn up any time soon, or who's better than who..
Our season kicks off tomorrow..let's just sit back and enjoy watching the boys win in style, eh? x x

I predict a 2-0 Chels win..
Who's going to the game and who's gonna be on here? Whoever is going, have fun!
I'll be online, no doubt nursing a rather violent hangover after a hen party tonight! :)

It's finally here guys! OOOO!!! I'm dead excited!

The voice of reason Lolli, we are all blues fans and the debate is all hypothetical until we actually sign someone. So lets support the team we've got.

Before you guys start putting words in my mouth, I DINT SAY THAT KAKA AND VILLA ARE WINGER! I only said that they are good additions to the team or impact players who can change the game any moment with their quality. Im not for buying Kaka but its a possiblity that we may get him.

Secondly, i would throw Robinho on the wings. Maybe J.Cole on the right and him on the left to flank Drogba and Anelka in a 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 or whatever formation. Deco and Essien look like certain starters. So its between Lampard and Ballack. We have alot of games per season.

Im sure everyone will get game time. Ballack aint any younger and i can see him getting lesser games. Dont get me wrong, im a big fan of him. But he's body may not allow him to. He may need more rest and time to recover afer every match. Cheers.

@13JOE13

I wouldnt try to fit Kaka, Villa and Robinho into the team. Obviously we dont have enough space. However, we are lacking on the wings so there is a space for Robinho who can play the Zola role or a winger. He's versatility gives us 2 positions up the pitch. Like i said, everyone will be rotated. He's only 24 so loads of ample time for him to settle. Ze German is at the wrong end of 32 so i expect him to play slightly lesser games and reserve his energy for the big ones such as games against the top 4.

Whoever plays for Chelsea... I don't care. If he is Kaka(If Chelsea signed him), make sure he plays 110% for Chelsea. If he is Ballack.. make sure he gives 110% to Chelsea...if he is anyone, he should give 110% determination to win for CHelsea. Signing big names does not always ensure our team to become stronger. Look at REAL MADRIRD where at that time they have ZIDANE, BECKHAM, ROBERTO CARLOS, RAUL and many more big names...they are all star and they are all everyone's dream team, still they are a great flop team. To sign or not to sign, let all the players become one unit and give their 110% determination to win and whoever starts or as a substitute, the most important thing is to be a Chelsea player is to give 110% determination to win. With Scolari around, we all hope that it will be a "Winning with Style attitude".

JANG

Ballack scored 2 goals against MAN U and He was on fire in the Euros. Maybe getting older, but still of the highest quality. Remember Zola at 32?

By the way, Nobody said that Joey was the best in the world. BUT he is a good player. Anyway.

Also. Robinho IS a good player and IF CFC Bought him, I would be happy and support every decision by the club. EVERY decision.

I don't hate Ballack and Joe as they've done a lot for the club. But as already seen in pre-season and Roman's dream of playing great football, we are moving towards buying more star players. The galacticos didn't work because they couldn't defend and yet we have the best defence and central midfield in the world in Essien and Lampard. If Scolari can last more than 2 seasons then it's inevitable that we'll be buying more flair players because up until now we've been functional yet a little boring. And whether it's right or wrong Roman wants to build himself an attractive dream team. And anyway, if Kaka and/or Robinho does arrive for 2009 who really expects Ballack at 33 to be a first team player?

You seem to think that Ballack is an untouchable, but Jose happily dropped him and Avram picked him because the only alternative was Sidwell. As we play more and more games towards January who out of Essien, Lamps and Deco is going to be dropped for Ballack?

But it's all conjecture anyway. As for tomorrow, i'll go for a 2-0 also with Cech and JT keeping a clean sheet for my FF team and Lamps and Anelka scoring.

It will be interesting to see how Scolari juggles the midfield. I can't imagine either Essien or Deco missing out that often. I read an article in one of the broadsheets a few weeks ago that said Lampard could be the one who finds himself on the bench more often, but that was before he signed his new contract.

As for tomorrow, I think Ballack will be on the bench simply because he's had a shorter pre-season - unless of course Essien is still injured.

1. Ballack was never dropped. FACT
2. He was our key player last season
3. Joe Cole scored our best goals in pre-season
4. We dont need to buy world class "squad players". Of course HABS thinks otherwise but I think we should have some youngsters in the team.
5. HABS, Who are you to say that Ballack wont be able to play that often? He has shown no signs of it so you must be excellent at being able to tell

We have several strikers..Kalou, Drogba, Anelka, Sheva, Di Santo. There is no reason to sign David Villa (Who doesnt want to join us anyway) and hold back the rest. Joe Cole is our only good winger and I would rather keep him then sign another forward for the sheer thrill of it.

"Jose happily dropped him and Avram picked him because the only alternative was Sidwell." This is by far the most brainless comment I have ever seen. How do I reply to something like this?

13JOE13

I agree about joey being our best winger. However, You do need 2 wingers to function properly, and to give good width to our team. Robinho is not the buy I am looking for though.

Deco can play on the wing and I would choose him over Malouda any day of the week. This could be the team against portsmouth.

-----------Cech---------------
--Bosingwa-JT---Riccy--Ash----
-----------Mikel--------------
-------------Lampard----------
--Joe Cole------------Deco----
-----------Ballack------------
----------Drogba--------------

Subs : Cudicini, Paulo, Essien, Malouda, Sheva

13JOE13

Drogba is injured and wont play against Pompey

Another false dawn at Spurs

Feel sorry for my Dad. He supports Spurs.

I Want a team like this for Portsmouth:

--------Cech--------
---Riccy-----JT-----
Jose------------Cole
-----Mikel----------
------------Lamps---
Joe--------------SWP
--------Deco--------
--------Anelka------

Subs:Cudicini,Malouda,Ballack,Bridge,Alex, Paulo, DiSanto

#115

So who do you reckon should be buy to play on the left wing. I dont see many choices part from Silva who is staying at Valencia, Quaresma?

Anyway, i think we will be playing 4-3-3 tommorow but in a more offensive style.

Cech

Bosingwa Carvalho Terry A.Cole

Mikel

Ballack Lampard

J.Cole Malouda

Anelka


If Deco plays, one of Ballack or Mikel would probably be sacrificed. I dont know.

#116

Dont think Deco has the speed to do it on the flanks. He would drift into the center in the end.

Dont think Deco has the speed to do it on the flanks. He would drift into the center in the end.

He doesnt have to race up and down the wing. The ideal situation would be for him to cut inside and attack the goal.

The day has arrived at last, I'm a bit like a kid on Xmas morning having just got up very excited ripping open his presents. I'm readying myself for the 3 or so hour trip up to the Bridge, with most probably my bleary eyed friends from the South West Supporters Club.

And guys quite frankly I don't care who's picked, once any of our players put on the blue shirt I'll be cheering them on. Lets hope by the end of today most people on this blog are going to be very happy.

PS And I'm 5th in our mini league. :-)

@ 125. CLIVE

I'll second you on that..
I can't describe how excited i am..so looking forward to seeing the boys in action!

Good luck Chels xx

Where's Essien ???

Not even on the bench, have heard nothing about an injury....

Joey slots one away in 13th minute.

It's 545am here in cali and I just woke the neighbors with my cheering i believe.

What an amazing first half! The boys look on fantastic form, their passing is spot on...
Any doubts I had about Deco have been erased today as he's playing really well.
3-0 so far, Joe, Nicky and SuperFrank (pen)

Well done lads, more of the same in the 2nd half please!!

Lots of quality, movement, and power. Refreshing to see the new approach. Just hope we don't get complacant.

Ballack going off for Malouda, only negative (if you can call it that).

Come on Chelsea, this is the stuff!!!

Now THAT is how you win a game of football!!!

Stylish, fast pace, precision passing..

Well done Chels..You've kicked off our season in style! X

Yeah, terrific performance today, really nice stuff.

And ManU could only get a draw at Old toilet... hehehe.

Portsmouth were very poor IMO and they were not their usual selfs. But we can only beat whats infront of us so full credits to the team. It was a good performance. We shouldnt get too carried away but one thing's for sure, we still have 1 or to more gears to shift into turbo. We dismantled a good team like Pompey without playing at full gear yet. Bring on Wigan.

PS: Please, dont let Ze German get injured now?! He was integral to our first half demolition of Pompey. =(

HABS

Hmmmmm. Joe Cole. Not the Worst, hey?

At least he is a good winger.
Dunno If Kaka Woulda done that.

A very enjoyable afternoon down in SW6 - a few beers in the sun (well, in between the odd cloud or two) and some of the best football we've played in a long while. Pompey simply weren't at the races - I genuinely don't think they knew what hit them, especially in the first half. Not a bad player on the pitch for us today - slightly less effective when Ballack went off but even Malouda looked decent. And we like Deco, oh yes.

More of the same please Chels - lovely stuff. Big Phil is our leader...

i welcome ballacks injury with open arms, if we can keep 1 person injuried at any one time throughout this campaign no-one will get angry. Essien was out today, comes back next week when ballack is injuried, when ballack comes back maybe frank will get a knock, then deco, then mikel... they can take turns! Do that for a few years until one of them gets too old XD

I can see Scolari's idea coming through. Lampard, Ballack and Deco as central attacking midfielders to press Pompey high up the pitch. A.Cole and Bosingwa getting into very advanced position providing width. Even Mikel played like Pirlo, a deep lying playmaker. Our passing are still not crisp enough but we still have alot of areas for improvement. We played a half-arsed Pompey team at gear 3 winning 4-0. Lets shift into turbo and look for gear 4 and 5.

I dont think Wingers Will feature much this season. Maybe Joey( the future legend, Right Habs?) will get the most. Unless Robinho comes to the bridge, I doubt we will see much width.

On Robinho, He seems to be less and less likely to come to the bridge, Doesnt he?

Hi guys...maybe you remember me, maybe you don't but it doesn't matter...

Here is my opinion on this situation
I loved Lamps. He was true example of great attacking midfielder always committed to Chelsea Fc.

But things changed. He was prepared to sacrifice supporters and everything the club has done for him...only because he wanted transfer to Inter and to be with Jose.
Or he was just blackmailing for a better contract?

Possible. He is most probably, or best payed player and most possible my biggest disappointment.

I thought he was a person who loved Chelsea. But it was all fake. He is cruel proffessional as Ze German, Figo and the rest, who only care about better contract and some of personal things(like reunioning with ex manager ), not about the club and the supporters (I really like Ballack, but I am being honest).

There is one more thing.He is 30. He can play like shit and get loads of money...and of course, occupy place 'cause he will be ''irreplaceble''.

Essien and John Obi Mikel are great talents. They are not playing on the identical position as Lamps, but they are in the middle too...

Essien showed great commitment to the club...he wasn't playing on his position but he signed the new contract.And he will be substitute most probably...

And Lampard wanted to leave in my opinion to be with Mourinho and to change the place of living bla bla bla...and we praise Lampard like a God.

Deco,Ballack,Lampard...old midfield.We missed to buy Van Der Vaart, great talent because we were gathering the 30 year old players...who can play maybe three more years on the same level as they are playing now.

I would thank Lamps for all what he did for us.But, if he left that would be a honest thing.This is hipocrisy.

Congratulations to Lolli and to all people who are happy because Lamps stayed :).

One more thing ...:)

We have a great manager, I was wrong about him.
But we didn't buy anyone that can really improve our game (Bosingwa is injured,without or with Deco, means without or with Ze German...so no big difference in quality, yes they play differently but they are same quality).

We will still have problems with the left wing and with the striker. Drogba...I am not sure what he can do this season and Anelka...well...same.

Kalou is good but he is not good enough.

Franco Di Santo showed great potential, but he is not ready yet...

Klas Jan Huntelaar is great player, I am not sure if he is going to be made of glass like Robben was, but he is heck of a player and someone is going to buy him in front of our nose and we will feel sorry afterwards.

ROBINHO is too expensive, but Ribery may be a bit cheaper ...

p.s. is there anyone who agrees (if you read that piece of shi... I mean writting,on my opinion about Lampard situation?