Premier League: Chelsea 0 - 0 Liverpool

Pretty clear that Lampsy shouldn't have started with the presence of Ballack. They are "incompatible", up till this moment.

Grant hasn't beaten the top four. One point from Liverpool (not considerably a top four now), and lost to Man Utd and Arse. It is not surprising for us to gain only each a point when they come over to our place.

Sorry for being pathetic but goodbye to the title.

I blame AG wearing a black shirt and grey tie; it's bad Fang Shui for the Lunar New Year!

I thought that for the first 90 seconds we played pretty well. After that it was so bad, I gave up watching (the advantage of seeing it live on TV). No one seemed to have a clue, the passing was diabolical, etc. TG says it all. Piss poor. We may not have had much chance for the championship, but we lost any we had today. I really hope Huddersfield aren't any good.

I'm afraid I might jump on the "get rid of lampard" wagon if I see much more of that. I think the bloke driving that wagon comments on here, and I think I might have said nasty things to him once or twice. Apologies?

To be fair, Maka was a waste as well. When Real sold him, the comment was made that they had gotten rid of a player who made 4 yard passes and signed a player who made 40 yard passes (Becks). On this performance, that might be a generous estimation of old Claude.

Apologies taken...

I am sorry but I was hoping that Lampard could be injured until at least our next game then Avram would not have to play him...Utterly hopeless in the midfield...He killed the balance...Buy Arteta and get rid of Lampard...He can not play in the football style we are trying to run at Chelsea.

The line up should have been

-------------Cech
Belleti---Alex---Carlvalho---Cole
J.Cole--SWP---Maka--Balak---Malouda
-------------Anelka

This formation would have pinned the scousers back...totally as the came to play counter attack football...

The ref was utter toss too... Penalty when Cole is brought down in the box...hey wait a minute...the last time a ref gave us a penalty against Liverpool he was banned...

When all is said and done..we did not lose the match and moved within three points of the mancs... I know that Loserpool must have celebrated the draw in view of their state of affairs...

Echoing TG's sentiments about Alex...he was a bright spot amongst the shit. He's working hard to make selection for AG extremely tough. And to make sure that Tal Ben Haim is on his way out in the summer. Unlike some of the people I watched the game with (and some on here), I thought Maka was okay. His passing was no worse than Lampsy's was and he made some important tackles. Here's to Essien and Mikel being back.

Lampard should've come off first for Malouda--allowing Shaun to slot into midfield. He and Ballack have shown that they're pretty adept at linking up and I think they would've given us a good chance to steal a winner.

If Joe Cole overhits another cross, I'm going to start calling him Dirk Kuyt.

And, as always, Pizzaro's entrance into the game signaled to me that we were going to do no better than a point. Sigh.

Still I'm sure Lampsy is one of the most significance in our team. The reason is he's not up-to-fit form, that's all. However, even if he's banging in goals, it might not make him and Ballack the perfect partners. I wonder how's Grant gonna make his decision on playing who-who when everyone's back, likewise the case of Rafa? On rotation?

I didn't see us pinning Liverpool in whatever circumstance (doubt even if Drogs fit), coz' the main reason to drawing this match is the tactic Grant used. I blame him, not only of his black shirt and grey tie (well said SimonT) that caused bad luck to us, but his lack of swift tactics (that Jose used to make during half time). I wonder what was his half time talk in the changing room. Yelling or just scratching his head miserably?

Did you see Ten Cate? His "I-couldn't-care-less" look was all over his face. What was in his mind?

And btw, where the hell is Sheva? Is he still on holiday?

Seems Big Grant is playing buddies with the big players. Unfit Lamps declares himself fit(and so will JT in a min.), and grant trembles.

Back to the late 90s then, Chelsea on Matchday, Arsenal or Manure for the league. will Big Grant(just like all his predec.) be given all the time just to prove how rubbish he is?

The Ballack/Lamps or Gerrard/Lamps thing will never work. Maybe for Frank its time to kiss and say goodby.

I have to agree with Tony on everything, it was an utter and total shambles. If this is the sort of dross that will be served up in any other country in 2010/11... both teams management and officials will be deported from said country quicker than Rafa eats his paella! And a quick note on Senor Benitez, Liverpool fans be afraid and concerned, because his assessment at the end of the game where he said that if Liverpool play like that until the end of the season they'll win lots more games. Quite frankly I don't know what game he was watching, but if they play like that for the remainder, they'll be lucky to finish in the top ten.

As far as we're concerned we have to rely on Arsenal imploding in a way not witnessed since those classic geordie days, but stranger things have happened.
Also a point on which Tony quite rightly mentioned, this current league record. I think it's become the proverbial monkey on the back, because we seem to play with a fear of not wanting to lose it, and a draw is more pref able than going for the win, and that seemed to be the case yesterday.

Although there were five yellow cards, it didn't appear to be a full blooded bad tempered game which is what we've come to expect when these two meet, and to think we've played them for half a seasons worth of games in three and a half years and this season isn't over yet. I can only hope that the upcoming cup draws will keep us apart to avoid this drudgery!

Great report Tony and, unfortunately, I have to agree with every word. I’ve never know a game when every player seemed so intent on passing to the opposition.

The current situation is a little unreal. All the reinforcements are arriving back from injury or Africa so the belief is, in Labour parlance, “things can only get better”. But it can’t get better than 9 straight wins. It’ll be a struggle to replicate that and most likely things can only get worse.

Each time we bring back a reinforcement it’s as likely to disrupt a winning team as to improve. By bringing back Lampard (of whom I’m a great fan) we managed to make Ballack look useless and SWP isolated. It’s not conclusive yet but this is further evidence that Lampard and Ballack can’t be on the pitch together although it was confused by Lampard and Gerrard being on the same pitch. SWP is not a very good winger, so if there’s no space for him in midfield he shouldn’t play. I’m now starting to fear that if we bring back all the reinforcements for the Carling Cup Final we’ll play like we did against Rosenborg.

The only excuse for this performance I can muster is that the players felt sympathy with the fans reaction to exporting our games overseas; which city would bid more than $1 for this crap?

Frank was clearly not match fit. So I suppose we have to reserve judgment on him and Ballack as a unit. But I totally agree with you Tony, Ballack instantly became a much better player the moment Frank went off.

Also totally agree with Mark that SWP isn't a good out-and-out winger. He loses the ball far too easily when running at defenders. That said, for some reason Belletti was making no effort to overlap yesterday -- had AG told him to stay back to counter the fearsome threat of, umm, Babel?

I thought Maka did ok. He gave the ball away no more than anyone else, and he was the only Chelsea player who popped up in space in midfield. Mascherano (excellent game) and Gerrard completely shut down all the others.

The most depressing thing was the constant pumping of long balls up to Anelka's head, as if we could turn him into Drogba just by asking him to play the same way. So much for all the self-serving puffery about "playing better".

The second-most depressing thing was Joe's pointless no-look backheel that went ten feet and landed gently on the right boot of Steve Finnan (or was it Skrtel -- someone with very little physical resemblance to Anelka, anyway). Nice one, Joe. If you'd done that under José you'd have been substituted five seconds later. He's been our most consistent attacking player recently but...

I forgot to mention one thing - the penalty claim which should have been given which was yet another example of Riley at his worst. One can imagine Obi or Essien producing a tackle like that in the box and getting an instant red.

Just spoke to a gooner at work and he fell asleep watching it on Sky. Needless to say, he is gloating heavily right now.

Allright, shocking crap. Fatigue taking its toll? maybe. Managerial incompetence? very maybe. Out of the title race? definitely maybe.

Look at it this way: we had to beat the Arse and the Manure anyway. we still have to. by hook or crook. Then we have to wait for them to drop points. Where? when?

apparently there are little or no chances of that happening.
i still believe it aint going to be an easy ride for them tonight: b'bum look better away (2 L: MU and, erm, wigan ) than on home soil (4 L). Recent form not that bad (unbeaten in 6, though mostly D). Not to be underestimated.
Plus, Arse seem to have no plan b when things start to go wrong (see spurs and boro).
From now on, it's going to be nerves more than technique and quality, and i still see MU having an edge in that respect (contrary evidence: yesterday), with us close second (contrary evidence: yesterday).

We have easier ties in both FA and UCL. And Carling withing grasp.

Not over 'til it's over

KTBFF

Neither an unfit Lampard or a clearly knackered Makalele should have started; possibly a little disingenuous to say it was Lamps going off that improved us - it was as much about Mikel coming on - the only player who seemed to grasp the idea of possession and passing to his own team mates; something which Maka didn't manage, which, when he's the pivot around which the midfield is supposed to be built, leaves you somewhat fucked.

Joe Cole is producing a moment of brilliance once every three games, quite often looks like a threat and then invariably spoils it for much of the rest of the time by playing like a stupid, self-indulgent schoolboy trying to impress the 4th year girls standing on the edge of the playground with backheels and stepovers. He needs a serious kick in the arse to bring him round, and pronto.

This type of game is precisely what concerns me about Grant; when the spotlight falls on him, very often the wrong decisions are made - they're not quite Ranieri-esque, but they ain't far off. Anelka was so isolated up front and spent much of his time dropping deep (was this a tactical order to try and negate Mascherano's influence, or just utter frustration at the crap service? Answers on a postcard please...), but that left us with nothing to offer by way of a cutting edge. With Joe farting around and SWP back on the wing where he's proven to be hopeless, it just looked ike a truly awful mess. Both poor and worrying in equal measure.

The two yellows he dished out to Riccy and Alex for nothing tackles are just some more you can add to his abysmal display. Those dizzy heights and successes 04/05 and 05/06, seem like a distant memory at the moment.

Awful. Possibly the worst I've seen Chelsea play for some time. The only good that came from this was a clean sheet.

Crying out for the MIkel-Ballack-SWP midfield that's served us so well recently. Why rush Lampard back for this fixture when we've got Huddersfield coming up? Crazy.

We've got what we expectd from Grant - he's good at getting results against the dross/midtable sides by not 'overthinking', but he can't do it when it comes to the crunch.

I have always been a detractor of Lampard and I wont stop now. I agree that Ballack only start to perform after Lampard went off. And Lampard, I mean come on, he wastes free kicks, his passing is atrocious. I really hope all this news about him going to Barca is true.

And to the game, we lacked ambition. Perhaps in the last 10 minutes or so, we started going for it a bit more but we didn't deserve anything. We were to defensive in the first half and struggled to even get out of our own half of the pitch.

Joe Cole was trying to do too much. Makelele's passing was absolutely diabolical. He broke up play well but god, he has got to pass the ball better. Lampard looked subdued. Wright-Phillips was too clumsy on the ball. Malouda was just shit. Belletti had a horrible game. Anelka tried so hard but he did not have much to work with. Overall, it was just a bad game for us.

And Grant's record against the so called "Big Four" isn't pleasing on the eye. He's gotta win these games for the fans to really get behind him. Its another opportunity lost to close the gap on United after last week's slip up. All we have to hope for is for Arsenal to slip up, though I dont really care about the Premier League.

Riley did miss a 2 footed tackle from Ricky, just to even things up.

Mavis was fairly shocking for both teams; no bias on display, just inept refereeing.

Still this might cheer us up.

Now they've got 3 sick centre backs.

LINK

Hmmmmm...

All the noise about Lamps...I still think the guy does not possess the qualities of a good midfielder (the ability and confidence to HOLD and CARRY the ball)... For the results in this match i hold AG responsible...i think he let his heart rule his head otherwise he should have known that SWP is far better off in the middle than the flanks and should not have been edged to the flanks to accomodate Lamps...

The game reminds me so much of the CL return leg match against schalke where our forwards were not given time on the ball by opposition defenders...these kind of games need the presence of confident ball-holders...Just hope AG has learnt his lessons 'cos most teams that want to make it difficult for us will come with the same approach...These are not the kind of matches for the likes of Lamps, rather they are the ideal types for the young but far more illustrious Mikel (i recall he also brought stability to the team in that schalke match)

The title seems far away now but not impossible to retrieve...Things just have to change and AG must learn to use his best options for optimal results...

I'm sure those berating Malouda would not mind having Kalou back in the team now...Before the lad went to Ghana, negative comments of different sorts were posted about him...I think we miss his drive and hopefully we can cover lost grounds soon.

Always Blue

to complete the stat gibberish above, arse are yet to play the three hardest-to-beat away from home: blackburn, villa, pool.
Lets hang on to the stats, then

@Rob
The only reason we kept a clean sheet was that Liverpool were so crap upfront, don't expect the same charity with likes of Utd and Arse when they come calling.

We need to bench Ballack when Lamps is fit. Ballack should only play when Lamps is injured & if we need to play an all-attacking style in the 2nd leg of Cups if we need to win etc. If Ballack is unhappy with that, fair enough, we should sell him in the summer transfer window (along with Shevchenko, Pizarro, Malouda & Sidwell) and buy (at least) 1 decent backup winger and a decent central (not attacking) midfielder, on the Essien mould.

This is how we should play if everyone is fit till the rest of the season (Maka to play only in CL matches on for Obi):

CECHY
BELLETTI-JT(c)-RICCY-ASHLEY
OBI
LAMPS-ESSI
SWP-DROGS(vc)-JOEY

4-1-4-1

Subs: CARLO, ALEX, BRIDGEY, MAKA, BALLACK, NIC, KALOU

Bluetone, you have just stated one of my reasons for optimism. If Blackburn get anything tonight, we still have a chance. The majority of us expected prior to this weekend for the top three to come out of it exactly as they were. A point gained on United on a poor weekend for us is something I will personally take.

We may not have the quality under Grant to keep pushing for the league this year, but with Drogba, Kalou, Essien and JT back, I expect us to give it a damn good go from here on in. The home games against Arsenal and United have become more crucial than ever.

After tonight, we can take a temporary break from the league anyway: we're sure to get to the next round of the FA, Olympiakos (a) is an exciting prospect, and best of all, we have a guaranteed cup victory over Spurs to look forward to! ;) Our season is far from over.

To A Syed, I agree with your team, except replace SWP with Anelka. After last night, I'm sure he can do a job on the wings!

Also, just a suggestion for everyone else: when Ivanovic is finally fit, we will have five centre-backs. Could 3-5-2 be a possibility?

Cech
Alex Carvalho JT
Belletti Bridge
Maka/Mikel
Ballack/Essien Lamps
Anelka Drogs

Read only if you really think matt derbyshire can affect the balance of a game :)

"There is also a doubt over Matt Derbyshire, whose girlfriend is expected give birth imminently".

yahoo news - arsenal v blackburn preview

Actually, bring back the diamond...

Cech
Belletti Carvalho Terry Bridge
Maka/Mikel
Essien/Ballack Lamps
Joe Cole
Anelka Drogs

I have no doubt Grant is going to stick with the 433 though. One thing we are missing from Mourinho's tenure is imagination.

Matt Derbyshire, whose girlfriend is expected give birth imminently

He wants to be careful, Wenger will try and sign the nipper up...

@ A Syed

Agree with your team but shouldn't it be Lampsie, Drogsie and Seanie for consistency.

However if the team was picked on a tactical basis instead of names rhyming with "eee" then I don't agree with your team :-)

Straw poll: Ballack or Lampard?

I think we've seen enough evidence to convince us there isn't room for both in the team. Neither is likely to enjoy spending time on the bench.

Ballack for me, even though he's two years older. On his day he's better in every department, except perhaps energy levels - Lampard will run the length of the pitch all day. Lampard's contract negotiations haven't endeared him to me either.

Can't we get some clever scientist/surgeon to create us a Ballard ;-)

But if I have to make a quick decision on current form then Ballack for me

I vote for Lampsie - it's difficult to make Ballack end in "sie"

ballsie?

Do we really need to discuss Lampard and Ballack...

For me Lampard lives in the past as does TSO and the brand of football we were playing...

Ballack is far a better creative player than Lampard...

Lampard's strength in the midfield is get the ball and look up to see whom you can hoof it to while Ballack is more of let us break them down through the middle with sleek passing...

There is one game that Lampard did for me this season...well he has been out a lot...I do not think his heart is still at the bridge...His body may still be with us but he is gone!

I feel Ballack has a lot to prove to himself first and to the club that is where he beats Lamps for me... Arteta for Lampard...pllllleassssseeeeee!!!!!

Oh and Sidwell could be the bonus!

I think there is room for both, but on recent performances Mikel, SWP and Ballack deserve to be midfield ahead of Lampard and Essien.

I said a while ago that Grant had been spared having to make difficult decisions because of injuries and it would be interesting to see how he coped when he had a full squad to chose from. He has to do better than he did yesterday.

On current form, Ballack. He wins more headers, passes more consistently and his free kicks and penalties are better. One big advantage is that Ballack can play the "Captain" role...what with being the Captain of perennial international underachievers (sic) Germany. Lampsie is no Captain. But if I were AG I would

Whiten my teeth
Buy some new suits
Make Lampard accept that Ballack takes penalties and free kicks
Teach Lampard the benefits of sitting behind the attackers
Sack/sell Malouda
Sack/sell Pizzaro
Buy David Villa
Play 4-4-2 against the top teams and leave 4-3-3, 4-1-4-1. 4-5-1 for the less dangerous teams

On the simple basis that Lampard looks likely to leave, I'd be inclined to get a fee for him now and let him go if he's not going to commit to us. Ballack is, on his day, a far better player but he's a) older and maybe has a year or two left at the level he's at now b) far less likely to stay fit for a full season (take a look at his record for appearance record for Bayern - you'll be hard pushed to find a season where he's played 50-60 games). Out of the two - work with Mikel and make him into our very own Fabregas - he has the ability in bucketloads and several years on the other two.

Always amazed at the amount of stick that Frank gets though; he was poor yesterday but he wasn't alone, yet he suffers the same fate as he gets with England - the scapegoat for a generally bad performance from most of the team; Makalele and Ballack gave the ball away as much as Lampard did but that apparently merits less of a mention. Let's see how we fare looking for a replacement on the open market that can do what he's done consistently for a number of years - even Roman's chequebook will squeak under the strain.

And in the rush to find someone to blame, consider this. 3 games against our 'closest' rivals? No goals, one point. Every one of the top 6 has outscored us and we've dropped points from a winning position twice at home. Mitigate all you like about circumstances, injuries, bad luck etc. - that is not good enough if we're meant to be challengers and the buck ultimately stops with the man in charge.

Ballack actually has the worst distribution of any of our midfielders. Mikel is the best, which is why he should be a staple of the team along with Cech, Carvalho and Drogba.

@ Alex

I'm not one of the Kalou haters (I actually rather like watching him play, even if his finishing makes me cringe sometimes) but I couldn't help thinking when Pizzaro came on that this is just the type of game where Kalou would get the winner (even if he was offsides like at home to Newcastle).

Since the tide now seems to be turning against Lamps I think Nick should stick a banner ad at the top of the blog with a public apology for Jose Musamba. He took a lot of stick for his less than Frank views and some bloggers wanted him banned.

Hmm, the fact that Jose's Lampard bashing has gone on for years irrespective of whether Frank was good, bad or otherwise does rather make a mockery of his stance on that particular issue...

Call it foresight

Call it blind man's bluff.

@Mark Let's not get hasty. ;-)

Grant should be on the end of any stick for yesterday's shambles, not Lampard.

There's talk of Terry trying to get fit for the League Cup Final. A similar scenario might arise: why bring a player back from injury in such an important game? We weren't desperate for Lampard to play yesterday, and it's unlikely that we'll be desperate for central defenders in two weeks' time, unless of course something happens to Carvalho and Alex. I'd play a one-legged Terry ahead of Ben Haim.

Terry was unfit in last season's LCF, and even less fit by the end of it.

Pretty harsh on Lampard, claiming he's not captain material. I agree that it was maybe too soon for him to be starting again, but you forget what he's done for this club, and is the first name on the team sheet when even remotely fit. If playing the two of them isn't an option, then Ballack is dropped, no question. He's never really done it for Chelsea, and Lampard has been one of Chelse's greats.
You bite your tongue when even comparing the two for Chelsea.

I mean for fucks sake, Ballack was just as shit yesterday, and has barely ever even played remotely well for Chelsea, so it's pretty disgraceful that people want Lampard dropped and Ballack in. You lot are obviously forgetting what Lampard has done for this club. Remember the 30th April 2005. Ballack will NEVER do that for Chelsea.

Let's not forget it was Frank's first game back...

I think the debate between frankie and ballack is a fair topic, we can't play with both, but to say that frankie is sh*te etc etc is simply not true. we need to decide which one is better suited to us now, which one we can get longer service out of from now, which one will have a better influence on the squad etc etc. then sell the other for a decent fee.

it's like choosing between a chocolate thickshake and a vanilla thickshake. by deciding on chocolate doesnt mean that vanilla is shit, it simply means chocolate is the preferred choice at said moment. what a terrible analogy.

there is light at the end of the tunnel, after all...at least for me.
times is publishing yet another article on luka modric's future in england, and, hopefully, chelsea:
LINK

i first picked it up in croatian media, where they are writing about the possibility of modric evoking "the webster rule", and buying out the rest of his contract with dinamo zagreb. the conspiracy goes like this: avram grant was tipped off by one giovanni rosso, a croatian playing in israel for a decade, that modric can use the webster rule, and join chelsea on much less pesos, than what modric's agents are asking for. ;)
anyway, i would love to see luka play for chelsea, he is an answer to our need for an creative midfielder, as opposed to messiers lampard and ballack.

as for yesterdays game - i think that mr AG had the chance to prove himself by making the right changes in the squad and tactics, after witnessing liverpools plan on defending with 11 players. he didn't. thumbs down.

Grant failed this test but, you know, at least he never says anything controversial.

Ballack and Lampard in the same team last season: not that great, okay at times though.

Lampard this season without Ballack: exceptional prior to getting injured, probably close to his best.

Ballack this season without Lampard: exceptional, out for 9 months but immediately showed his class.

Lampard and Ballack yesterday: crap, but then that could be put down to Grant's selection, formation and the fact that Lampard wasn't match fit.

Remainder of the season? If both are selected I just don't believe they will perform to their best.

At this moment in time I'd choose Ballack.

Ballack will never do what Lampard did in April 2005 because he won't get a chance to because we're nowhere near as good as we were back then - and I don't believe Grant's got what it takes to emulate those times.

Back to work.

@ hazzabean

Before you open your fat gob again, read the post and the comments and then try to UNDERSTAND them rather than shooting from the hip. I'm not slagging Lampard off for what he's done, merely for being shite yesterday. Sometimes a pro's head takes over his heart and in Frank's case he could have insisted on being on the bench and settling to come on later if we needed him. He knew he wasn't match fit, so he should be grown up enopugh to say no.

He is NOT a good captain though, too quiet, and to forward in his play. The best captains have always been traditionally holding players or centre halves who tend to see a more holistic view of the game.

I personally don't think Lampard has played well for almost two years.

He slows the game down and if he is not scoring, contributes nothing.

Ballack statistically covers more ground than Lampard every game. You've got to remember Mourinho built the team around Frank and Drogba, and even then in my opinion he struggled to perform last year.

I feel that we have had the best of Lamps, that he has too many miles on the clock, and we should let him go.

He's behaved like a fool over his contract - which other club in the world is going to pay him more than £135,000 a week?

He has been a Chelsea great but let him move on.

Ballack or Lampard ???

I'll go Van der Vaart, then Modric. Lamps is 30, Ballack 31.

Spend some money in the summer on a replacement.

Sunday was abysmal. My Sky box died on Wednesday and I busted my ass to get them out before the weekend so I didnt miss the game. Oh how I rue that decision....

At least Joe Cole or Lamps didn't get booked so would miss the Fizzy Pop Cup Final. With Huddersfield on Saturday, it's an ideal opportunity to rest some and play those that need match time.

Heard a rumour that Sinclair may be off on loan to Charlton (may have gone by now, been in a course all day) - what a waste. With our wide midfielders running their own 'who can be the worst' competition, I say give him a chance over Malouda any day. Hell, I'd play him up front instead of Pizarro.

To be fair Tony, it's not Lampard's fault if he gets picked, it's the manager for making a bad decision. Very few players are going to say no when they get stuck on the team sheet - and then imagine the story 'LAMPARD REFUSES TO PLAY FOR AVRAM' etc.

No argument on the captain. It's JT/Ballack/Drogba/Carvalho but never Lamps.

Also, it should be said that Ballack was great around Christmas, but hasn't been particularly impressive since he came back from that second injury (ie v Reading, Pompey and yesterday). But the whole team has looked tired in those games.

Peter

Ballack scored against Reading didn't he?!

I'm watching the reserves v Fulham on Chelsea TV to see Di Santo. Avram AND Roman are in the crowd. No one can claim Roman's not interested. How many other billionaires are spending their Monday evenings at Brentford?

Great just after AG says Frank will have to fight for his place, He walks straight back into the starting 11 WTF? Liverpool were good defensively but nobody seemed to be able to get a passing move going in midfield which is strange considering the players we had in that position Maka,Ballack, Dare I say Lampard?

Mark, Ballack scored but he was anonymous in the second half, when we played very poorly (after a superb opening 45min).

is it me or the interpretation of the offside rule is slightly different at the emirates?

i must've seen 4 or 5 and no whistle to be heard

back to the good old times of "if it's a manu player it's not a foul it's a fifty fifty challenge"?

"Grant’s record against the big boys, and yes Liverpool are still in that group, is decidedly shaky thus far".
Clearly have not got anything else to add to it. He has not guts and knowledge of the game to win big teams and smaller teams our players can actually win without him.

Lamps and Ballack are equally important but can equally disappoint us at times.
I'd say maybe both should learn to get rotated before coming up to be the first XI. Some say Lamps has been dropping the level of his performance, yes, with Jose Mourinho still here, he would know exactly how to fully use Lampard. And Jose knew that it could not happen with both Lamp + Ballack in the same squad. If this is the case, I'd say lets see who's more committed to Chelsea, and we might be forced to sack the other.
However am not surprised to see Lamp heading off to Barcelona.

All points to a trophyless season and the worse is that the promised entertaining football with plenty goals is taking time to materialise. God save us …

Although it's now going to tough after Arse won last night, lets not forget there will be two crucial games for them away to us, and Utd. We're going to see how these inexperienced players of theirs cope with the "squeaky bum" games.
Regardless of how much tactical nous AG has, the players we have should be able to call on what it takes to win these type of games just like Utd's players will be able to. After all when things go wrong for Arsenal we've seen their petulance, who's to say some red cards to key players will have the desired effect to their form and confidence

Then of course there's the wild card that is Liverpool, and if they can do what they usual do and stick everyone behind the ball, who's to say they can't get a draw from at least one of the games, optimistic on my part?... yes.
I still feel there will be few surprises and twists in the coming weeks, all I hope is that Drogs, (if it is to be his last season for us), will torment defenses and score a shed load of goals.

I may be clutching at straws but you only have to look at the recent Superbowl to see that there's no such thing as sporting certainty.

Agreed, Clive

five points are nothing with 12 games to go. one slip up and they have to avoid defeat at the hands of utd, which may become a tall order when under pressure.
if the manx get back in contention so do we. still too close to call

Clive,

Valid point, but having taken 2 points from a possible 12 against the supposed 'other big 3', can you really see us beating both Arsenal and ManUSA ???

Yes, we're at home, but we've hardly been trampling over everyone who comes to the Bridge. The unbeaten home record has never looked as vulnerable as it has recently.

I see Di Santo scored for the ressies last night. Does he have a chance against Huddersfield ????

Fifty

you're right

still, winning the head to head clashes is a prerequisite: without that there is no talk of keeping chances (and hopes) alive.

and looking back at the previous big games there's always been a somehow twisted context ("episodes", if you like: tso gone, goal after injury time, joke pen, eboue, cech... you name it).
How about them playing a fully fit, fully minded Chels?

Can't see Arsenal dropping anything from here, but we were always outsiders after we ditched our manager. To be honest, given the situation when Grant took over, I'd have taken third and continuing interest in all cup competitions as we head into March. The crucial thing was always maintaining our CL spot, which at one point did not look straightforward (I mean, look at the trouble Liverpool have got themselves into without anything like our problems). I still wouldn't rule out runners-up spot, good progress in the two big cups and we've got a little date with Spurs coming up that could be fun (or a living nightmare).

how many times has this beauty (which i'm a proud owner of) been worn?

LINK

> > winning the head to head clashes is a prerequisite

Agree with you Fifty - frankly after Sunday the fact that we've a) failed to even score against the rest of the big 3 and b) failed to capitalise on winning positions against Villa and Everton at home - I'm not too hopeful...

And I'm afraid Arsenal have grown some balls this season; always the possiblity with Wenger's sides of a toys from pram moment, but this one looks less and less likely to do so as time goes on.

The thing that adds to the situation, is that I really can't see AG being able to manage everyone in a week or so's time when they're all available.

He can only play 11, so one of JT, Alex or Riccy C will be disappointed. JT is our leader, but has been way short of his previous form for some time - it's not a given he should come straight back.

In midfield, he's got to pick a holding player from Mikel, Essien and Maka, and two attack minded ones from Essien, Ballack, Lamps, Sidwell, etc. The wide positions have always been those we've rotated so they're nothing new, but now there's Anelka, Drogs, Kalou, Pizarro and Sheva (when he's back from Gleneagles) battling for the strikers berths.

I can see a big change at the club in the summer - JT alluded to as much on Sunday. A lot of departures, and maybe not as many arrivals......

There's no doubt that the head to heads need to be won, but if you look at the Utd game at Old Trafford, did any of us really expect a win considering the circumstances of that week only to be compounded further by playing with ten men for the best part of an hour. The Arsenal game was decided on a howler by Petr, and although he kept the score down at the end with some great saves, it was only because we threw everyone forward to look for the equaliser that left us open to the counter. The one thing Arsenal don't like and that's Drogs and if he's fit and plays he'll cause them problems, he's scored enough against them in recent games.

I'm not saying that we're going to win the two games, but circumstances and some bad luck cost us against them both away from home, so perhaps we're due some good luck.

Sundays game against Liverpool was certainly the harder of the three matches, so if you look at it from that point of view the draw didn't seem so bad considering Utd lost. If we're not going to win the title and Arsenal do, then second is certainly a strong possibility. I also think the game on Saturday between the other two in the cup is going to have a psychologically adverse effect on the losers.
I suppose we may all have differing thoughts on who we would like to win, but I'm planting my flag in the Utd camp for the day, but also hoping for a bad tempered game, with lots of injuries and a few red cards shared between them!

One hope is that Grant/Ten Cate/Clarke learnt from their mistakes on Sunday and will be less hasty to rush players back and quicker to make changes when things clearly weren't working. Mourinho's boldness has slightly spoiled us in this department, but any idiot should have been able to see at half time that serious changes were needed and for once we had the players on the bench who could have made a difference.

lampard has to go - he is rubbish - a few good seasons where he worked hard and then he took his foot off the gas. Buy van der vaart and put him in there with ballack and mikel.

AG - seriously if you dress like a gangster bloody act like one - be ruthless and not a total pussy bowing down to pier pressure.

I want my money back for the travel, ticket, beer, burger and my time!!

Seriously when they play like that i ask myself why i bother.

Totally agree with Peter. After 45mins Liverpools game plan was transparent & H/T was that moment in time when AG could have siezed his place in our hearts.
Yet, we all knew he was never going to be that brave. In the end we desereved no more than a draw.

If AG continues to sit on the fence and try to keep the big names happy, rather than strategically sending his strongest team out every week, then I fear our season will fade away.

Its not too clase to call - the performance on Sunday demonstrates the fact that we don't deserve to win the league this year. This was the worst home performance since we surrendered 3-0 at home to Arsenal on Boxing day about 10 years ago. I nearly stopped at the front desk to demand my money back. The only thing that would have made this match watchable would have been to make it an evening kick off and turn the floodlights off

I hope Chelsea would employ a Feng Shui practitioner to advise AG how to dress for luck! Even the idiot Rafa knows, he had white shirt and red tie - very good Feng Shui against AG's black shirt and grey tie! Maybe it was Tony's lucky underpants that saved Chelsea from defeat! ;-)

Maybe if we give Grant Tony's underpants to wear outside his suit, he'll suddenly become Superman...?

I would rather give AG a pair of pink knickers to wear on his head! :-)

Just received my copy of the Chelsea magasine (actually the household received three copies but I don't like to boast). One of the headlines on the front cover reads "SWP and Ashley Cole grilled by fans" which I thought made a refreshing change from the regular tabloid headline "premier players spit roast fans".

Maybe, just maybe if all our names appeared in the colour blue, like Nick, JD and Tony's instead of the AG black the rest of us have, perhaps we'd have better luck. ;-)

Your lowering the tone again Mark, which is excellent considering we all need cheering up. But I draw the line at you bragging about your social status in the magazine standings, you didn't need to mention it!

Got to love the Chelsea magazine; the adverts for various speedboats and £5 million houses truly shows that the club hasn't lost touch with its core fanbase...

Agreed that it was a TERRIBLE game on Sunday, DON`T agree with all the Lampard-hating comments one bit. He was the only change to the very same starting line-up that we`ve had for ages but the whole team played shit, not just him for God`s sake!! Are we gonna blame it all on him?? Give the guy a break, he`s nowhere near match fit yet, i`m suprised A.G played him as long as he did. Yeah, ok, Ballack`s been good in midfield but if i had to choose between him and a 100% fit Lamps..then i`m sorry but Frankie would get my vote every time. A question for Jose Musumba... as you hate Lampard so much, are you sure you`re not a closet West Ham fan???
Up the Chels xxx

Maybe this is old news, but I read that Anthony Annan has been linked to us. Thank God. We are desperately short on midfielders.

I was there on Sunday, and I really should have just stayed at home and done Physics homework, which would have been exponentionally more interesting than this. Very, very boring match. Realllllllly boring. The penalty that wasn't given was a 50-50 one, I can't honestly say I would have given it, and tbh Liverpool were the better side. Crouchie was immense.

Gah. Stupid Arsenal.

Oh, and I just want to add - if there was anything positive to take from the match, it was how utterly hilariously shite Dirk Kuyt was. Major lolling needed.

The match at the weekend was an absolute farce. After all the good work the lads have put in over the Christmas period, what with injuries and the African Cup of Nations we have gone and thrown it all away in this performance.
The worst thing about the game was that we didn't actually seem as though three points was our aim on the day, if we would have gone for it a little bit more it was there for he taking.
Avram needs to think quicker than he did on Sunday if we are to have any chance in the matches against the 'big four' teams. Since he has been in charge only one point has been picked up in these games.

@ emma

Yes. From now on when someone wants to take a swipe at Kalou's poor finishing or Malouda's general cluelessness, they should just thank god that we don't have to put up with Kuyt.

what a massive load of crap!
But why is Andy Gray convinced the foul on Joe Cole would be a foul outside the box, but doesn't say it's a penalty?

Is it me or is it that the boys didn't want to get any of the points from "big four" teams under Grant's management? Wild guess only. But that is what it seems to be.

Worst game involving Chelsea I have seen for a long time. And it is not the result; it is the manner the team play. I do not think just because Grant wore black shirt, 99% of the team forget how to pass a ball! The midweek best England players – JC and SWP did not turn up for that game at all, just comes to prove that after internationals is difficult for the players to pick themselves up for some reason. The tactics of Liverpool to destroy instead to play did not help. Anyway, agree that the starting 11 may be should have been different, but that is easy now to say! Clean sheet is the only good thing from that game! Mind you MU where worst than us!
A lot to look forward though!

Talking of fashion, perhaps it's time Avram invested in one of these.

LINK#

The problem with Lampard is that he is so good. The moment he does not score, people think that he does not contribute anything! Don't get me wrong, but I think that we're just coying up to Ballack a lil too much. I mean he comes back from an injury, and everyone says he has been the greatest to wear the Chelsea blue? B@||$!!! Other than the occassional so called flashes of brilliance, which again is up for debate, he has a long way to convince me that he can control the game when the going gets tough. Seriously, guys these past few games when you were all lapping up to Ballack, did u happen to notice that the so called 'old man' of Chelsea was having an amazing time well??? He needed a rest, you cannot expect Maka to play in evey game now. The moment he is off que, the entire game goes for a toss.

And on this board, it look like Herr Ballack is sumone who can do no wrong.

@ Antony - If covering ground shows how good a player is, then Gerrard shud be the World Player of the Year umpteen times!

@ Tony - If Lampard refused to play after being picked, I can imagine what everyone on this board would have been saying! And not to mention the Media Circus that would have followed.

and in an offshoot
@ All people who said TSO was nothing special - Look at Rafa, and, now think what an achievement the last season was!

rant over!

And thanks to all the guys who make this the best Board in the whole world. I have been a silent participant here for ovr a couple of years now. Thanks once again.

@ Lolly - yup he is useless.

As you say the same team that has played well suddenly plays badly and the ONLY change is frank lampard!!! I think that says it all.

I dont need sherlock to work this one out!!

:)

@ JD - you are so right - it makes me chuckle at how out of touch it is but it also allows me to dream a little as to what i would buy if i was as overpaid as frank is!

Don't tell me you haven't all picked up one of those speedboats yet?

@ Munkeyfeet,
TheFallenAngel has just relayed my thoughts regarding Lamps exactly. Everyone was ready to burn Ballack at the stake last season, willing to bet you were one of them, as were the majority of us. He f***s off to get an operation , decides to (eventually!) come back to play a bit of football, and all of a sudden he`s a God?!! My arse!! it will take a hell of a lot more than a few decent games to convince me that he`s ANYWHERE near Frankie`s standard...and trust me..he`s got a very, very long way to go. My guess is you will all be ready to crucify Herr Ballack again at the end of the season!!!

The thing with Lamps and Ballack is that there's much more history between the fans and Frank than Michael. The former has given us lot years of service and the supporters have in return grown to love him. Ballack on the other hand does not have enough time left at the Bridge - even if he finishes his career here - to ever achieve the same status.
It would be wrong for Frank to leave the club as he will not find another set of fans who appreciate his commitment as we do - just take the so called England 'fans' - but that does not mean him and Ballack cannot work together in the heart of our midfield.

The day that great yes great Frank Lampard player leaves Chelsea to greener pastures, where is ability and football interligence will be more appreciated, like in Italy or Spain thatn you ungrateful lot will mourn the departure.
Frank in form is one of the best most prolific midfielders, when in form, in the world.
I sincerely hope he joins Milan, together with JM, next season we could do with a winner in our midfield along side kaka, and pato and maybe DD.
What a line up.

@marco - Do not think Pato and Kaka are JM type of players, they do not defend well, do they? So he may sell them to Chelsea and get Lampard and DD, what you say? :)

@ Lolly - i was just being difficult in my post.

I didnt jump on Ballack when he wasnt performing - i do believe it takes a year to get up to speed - for this reason i will leave malouda alone until next season - though i agree he could try a little harder but hey when your head isnt right the rest struggles too.

Lamps was great for us - i dont deny it however when he is not on his game he is invisible on the pitch. I know what you will say - all players go through that - but with him the frequency seems to get more and more now a days. I just feel - like arsenal have done - if we lost him others would step up - i for one would rather have 4 players step up than one player occasionally being awesome.

Interesting stat with regard our cup runs, we seem to making history (cough Liverpool) with our continuing records.
LINK

I've just realised the legend that is Frank Sinclair will be making a long-overdue return to the Bridge on Saturday - he now plays for Huddersfield !!

re covering ground my point was that it's a myth that Ballack doesn't work hard. This is a regular criticism of him. I am not saying that because he runs over 12 k a game he is a better player than lampard.

Though I believe technically he clearly is. I even thought he performed better than Frank last season, but because he doesn't look permanently knackered or kiss the badge people think he is somehow not committed.

There is no doubt though that this year Ballack has been flying into tackles and appears more up for it.

I think the adoration of Lampard is symptomatic of the problem with international football in this country. The fans yearn for all action lung busting players, but in fact, at the very top level, technique and finesse are more important. The Premiership is an anomaly amongst the other top leagues in the world in that ability is not the most important attribute (though obviously it helps - each one of the top four, and increasingly all the other clubs - have players with fantastic technique) but fitness and athleticism tend to be. This generally makes for a more exciting spectacle (certainly more entertaining than Serie A).

If you can mould the two (technique and athleticism) the result is potent. English clubs are becoming increasingly successful in Europe (or at least dominating the knockout rounds) because of this. Tellingly though they rarely win it. English teams and Engerland do not quite measure up to the others because technically they are not as good as their oponents in Spain or Italy, or the rest of the world.

I think the Lampard v Ballack debate is illustrative of this.

Anyway...

Fifty - good old Frank - never the most gifted, but a few of our current side could do well to note how committed he was back in the day (and probably still is). And there aren't too many players who can say they've scored in a Wembley final.

Anthony - some good points on the Ballack / Lampard debate; Ballack is certainly one of the world's best in terms of his understanding / reading of the game but Frank is much under appreciated in English football; he has the classic English 'engine' but is also rarely given credit for his ability to control a game and to take on whatever role the manager asks him to. The Arsenal game this season was a good case in point - it was quite clear he'd been told to keep tabs on Fabregas which he did with a good degree of success for much of the game. But most of the reviews / write ups suggested he was either quiet or below par. He may not satisfy those who want crafty stepovers and Gullit-esque passing, but his record speaks for itself and replacing him will be quite a task when the time comes.

Anthony
I've always believed the England team will never really do well in the major competitions for some of the reasons you pointed out. The fans do prefer the 100 mile an hour nature of our game, and I do think the English players find it hard to play any other way.
You only have to remind ourselves about the gloating media last year, claiming with three English clubs in the last four of the Champions League, we had the best league and teams in Europe... and we all know how that ended.

@Jonathan,
It's a good point you make on Lampard, he is so important to our team not just through the goals he scores - although granted it is very important - but through the chances he creates and the way he can dictate the tempo of a game almost all by himself.
There are not many players in World football who can do all that not just when let off the leash but when give a precise job to do by his manager.
It may not have been obvious that we missed him over the Christmas and January period yet the teams we came up against never really tested us. Also he may not be back to full fitness but when he is it will become apparent just how important he is to our team.
Stuff the England fans, if they can't see his worth then so be it, at least if he isn't in that team he can focus on bringing the us back some silverware from Moscow this spring.

And we all thought Jose Musumba was an eccentric!

Now let's see if there's anyone else who agrees that Cech should be sold.

Have I missed something here? Who's advocating we sell Cech?

@ Munkeyfeet, point taken. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, after all, we all pay our money right? And i repect your opinion. Mine however is that Frankie has ALWAYS been a hard worker for us, hardly ever has time off with injuries (unlike some!!), he`s been unfortunate to pick up 2 thigh injuries in the last couple of months, played 1 bad game and all of a sudden he`s public enemy number 1. There were another 10 people on that pitch on Sunday who had an equally shit game..some were a lot worse. Think there was only Carvalho who gave a half decent performance in fact. Just think everyone`s being a little too quick to critisise him at the moment, give him a break! Let him get back to full fitness, then, if he`s still not playing up to your standard, THEN have a go at him. His record and contribution to the club speaks volumes for me, he`s only gotta get one more goal for a century.. that`s hardly a sign of a shite player is it?? I feel "secure" knowing that he`s playing in midfield, but have to admit i don`t feel the same when i see Ballack there, that`s not saying he`s crap, he`s far from it, he`s just not upto the same standard as Lamps in my opinion. Sorry..but i`m in Frankie`s corner all the way. Perhaps if he does leave in the summer, which i sincerely hope he doesn`t, the doubters will start to realise what a great player we let go and didn`t appreciate enough.

@ LIMETREEBLOWER
Have you been sniffing glue?

@BoyinBlue (Chris) "One thing we are missing from Mourinho’s tenure is imagination."
IS THAT THE ONLY THING WE MISS FROM THE TSO TENURE?

Given his extraordinary service to the club over the past seven seasons, and even if his ability were in decline (which I do not believe it is), I think it incumbent upon Chelsea FC to keep Frank as long as he wants to stay with the club. We owe him that at least. I can't say the same of the other players with the exception perhaps of JT, Carlo, and Maka. That said, if Frank wants to leave, then that is his decision.

This discussion starts to resemble a recent one here in which you switch DD for Frank, Anelka for Ballack. Nothing new under the sun.

What are people`s thoughts on Drogba? As the song goes, "shall i stay or should i go?", the fella doesn`t seem to know what he wants to do does he?! I for one seriously wish he`d make up his mind. If it were down to me, i wudn`t let him leave but it seems that the head honcho`s at the Bridge are preparing themselves for the worst. Read earlier that Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is the intended £22million summer transfer target. Rumour is that Man Ure, AC Milan and Juve are after him too. That will be something i`ll watch for with great interest. Didier is apparently waiting to see where TSO goes to before making his move. Whether it be Milan or Barca remains to be seen-( the former saying that they`re willing to pay £30million for his services). Also seen that Chelsea are in talks with Van Der Vaart`s reps. A.G is hungry to sign him in the summer as well,after he has reportedly refused to sign a new contract. Juve, Valencia and Inter Milan want him but he has stated the Bridge as his preferred option. Whatever happens ,it looks like it`s gonna be a busy summer for us guys. I need a lie down just thinking about it!! Juve have also stated that they are making Lamps their number 1 target in the summer tranfers. Personally, i don`t think he`ll leave...he`s got blue blood running through his veins that one!! Oh yeah..and on a sad note, Sidwell may be sodding off to West Ham. Never mind, i`ll have to TRY my best not to lose any sleep over that particular piece of news!! He should fit in quite nicely down there, they play shit all the time, so he wouldn`t be the only one to stand out a mile!!
Up the Chels xxx

Didn't our good friend Jose Musumba once state that Cech was overrated and had become a liability and should be sold? That's what I was alluding to. Perhaps I've done him an injustice -- sorry Jose if so.

Yes JIKO JM bought DD to use him as a central defender

Yes MARCO. And he did use R. Huth or JT as central forwards usually in semis against Lpool. That is what I call imagination, but that is not the point. The point is JM did not play JC not because he is not good going forward, but because he did not help the defense enough. Now can you see Kaka and Pato fitting in those plans?

@ Lolly - i agree with your points and i am not shouting for ballack to take his role - Frank has done wonders but like any relationship it has to come to an end and i feel that time is close - i could be wrong, trust me i have been many times!! I would rather add van der vaart and modric into the squad and see what happens.

In response to your other post. Part of me thinks if DD goes we are kind of stuffed as he pitches in with goals, causes defences to run scared and is a monster - however if he went and kaka or messi were to come back the other way then a large part of me is ready to give him the shove needed esp if Fifty manages to broker a deal to bring Villa over.

Lollipop,

If we had a replacement lined up for the summer, I'd cash in on him. He was amazing last season, truly amazing, but his unpredictability means we probably wont see that from him again.

If someone is prepared to pay nearly £25m as reported, we'll have done well from a player approaching 30.

On the other hand, there is no-one like him. Huntelaar may be a more composed finisher, but doesn't have that raw pace and strength that literally scares the sh*t out of Premier League centre-backs.

As a Chelsea fan, it's disappointing to hear of his continual blabberings about leaving. To me, the club comes first and if he doesn't want to be here then 'Cheerio'. The only problem this summer is that Sheva (and maybe Pizarro) need replacing as well - you're looking at spending stupid money for a strike force to keep us in the hunt again next season. Maybe we keep DD for one more season and either blood one of the youngsters (Di Santo, Sahar, Sinclair) properly, or buy someone else in the summer with a view to it being DD's last at the club.

JD :

"..And there aren’t too many players who can say they’ve scored in a Wembley final."

True.

But there aren't many players who've scored own goals in two (three ??) consecutive league games, and a further two from over 30 yards. That takes real ability. God bless Frank Sinclair.

"As well as the return of Lampard, manager Avram Grant will welcome back his full complement of African Nations Cup players, while Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko has finally reported fit after a back injury.

Skipper John Terry has declared himself available for the upcoming matches against Huddersfield in the FA Cup on Saturday, Olympiacos in the Champions League in Athens on Tuesday and Tottenham at Wembley." - Even Sheva is back,
is Avram spoilt for choice now or what

@ Fifty

"As a Chelsea fan, it’s disappointing to hear of his continual blabberings about leaving. To me, the club comes first and if he doesn’t want to be here then ‘Cheerio’. The only problem this summer is that Sheva (and maybe Pizarro) need replacing as well - you’re looking at spending stupid money for a strike force to keep us in the hunt again next season. Maybe we keep DD for one more season and either blood one of the youngsters (Di Santo, Sahar, Sinclair) properly, or buy someone else in the summer with a view to it being DD’s last at the club."

Wot? No David Villa?

I'd let Drogs go for decent money ie. the type of money we'd be expected to pay if we were buying him...£30m anyone? Then I'd buy the 26 year old David Villa for £25m, keep Sheva for another season or 2 as a Sparky type player (sitting being the strikers) and start blooding the other 3.

Come on Fifty......keep the David Villa campaign going...there's at least 2 of us who would love to see him.

Tony,

I did promise a few articles ago I wouldn't mention him any more and I'm sticking to it.

Not saying I dont want to sign him, but I was being accused of all sorts of thing by my fellow posters. The sort of things Mrs Fifty doesn't need to be hearing.....

Tony, Fifty
I certainly appreciate Villa's ability as a player, but I just have a feeling about him being a little lightweight as to the demands of the Premiership. We could easily spend £20 plus million on someone who turns out on the pitch as much as Robben did for us. Or on the other hand he could be a tough little bastard who will take the weekly kickings he'll so obviously get from our more robust opponents, but I have my doubts.

Surely not : LINK

BBC claims JT is back for the game tomorrow.

MHO I think that rather than buy a new striker, we should blood our youngsters. And I think that we have a fair share of youngsters on the pay roll that everyone other than the first team coaching staff seem to have faith in. :)

Kalou I think would mature, well for the sake of Chelsea, lets hope he does. And Di Santo is quite a nice one. We usually dont go for Argentine/Brazilian strikers as they just dont seem to like the Premiership, as some say. Well then again, how many of them were six foot four monsters at the age of 18? lol

If we are spending some serious money on a striker, then I would love that to be spent on a certain "Sergio Leonel Agüero". He could be what Zola was. The little pocket dynamo sort of deep lying striker. Someone who could not only score but create with as much ease. I'd love to see Chelsea playing with some like this rather than just depend on our mid field to 'create' the goals for the strikers to bang in. What say?

@ Fifty....come on man....show them who's boss!

@ Clive - many would have said the same about Torres and lets be honest he is made of glass like Robben, however ask any Liverpool fan and they will accept that for the sheer quality he shows on the pitch. Those types often are fragile, and they may be an indulgence, in a big enough squad with strength in depth they can be easily accommodated on an every other game basis.

@ Fallen Angel - I would love someone like this, but ultimately our failings have been the lack of a ruthless goal poacher. Prior to Drogs last season who was our last 25 goals plus man on a regular basis....Kerry Dixon perhaps. I reckon Villa has 6-8 years in front of him and the thought of him playing for Tubby CakeThief or his (inevitable?) next season successor, or for Wendy Ramos at Spuds doesn't bear thinking of.

Er.... Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Tony, did you see the game against Villa? Why would we get rid of Sheva after he just adapted to the EPL? Keep Sheva he will find his best form for us. I dont think we can stop DD from leaving in my opinion if he wants to then he can leave!

@ MUNKEYFEET,
Agree Van Der Vaart is a good player but who`s to say he`ll be any good when/if he comes to the Bridge? How many footballers have come here with a great track record and have been a big let down on the pitch? Quite a few in the past, yeah? My God, we`ve got a couple here now that i wish would just go and disappear on a permanent basis!! Lamps has given many years of great service and has shown loyalty to us which in turn has made me very fond of him. You will NEVER see a bad post from me about Frankie. He`s a fantastic English player and i believe we are very lucky to have him in our squad, same with J.T, who i`m very happy to hear is gonna be playing this weekend. Maybe you`re dreaming a little to think that Kaka and/or Messi would ever turn up here but DO agree with you totally that if Didier goes we are screwed, so pleased we agree on something xxx

@ FIFTY
"Huntelaar may be a more composed finisher, but doesn`t have the raw pace and strength that literally scares the sh*t out of Premier League centre-backs". That`s a valid point but at the end of the day, isn`t it goals that matter? I also wouldn`t call it a "PROBLEM" getting rid of Sheva and Pizarro...i`d call that a result!! The first was a gigantic waste of ££££`s and the second is just a waste of space. I certainly wouldn`t wet my pillow with tears if any of them left in the summer...in fact, I`d probably turn up to wave them off.
Up the Chels xxx

Hah, the Great Reds fell shamefully to brave Barnsley

Let's see how the media will react.

Anyone saw our game? any opinions?

Great milestone for a midfielder, 100 goals for Frank, he deserves it (at least for the old times)

Blue Will Be The Color

Would all the Lampard haters look away now... WE LOVE SUPER FRANK!

Congrats to Frankie. He definitely deserves it.

And those poor "mighty" Reds. All together now: COME ON INTER!!!!!!!!!! Let there be tears in Liverpool.

After the successful ninety minutes today, I expect JT will be in the CC final first 11 with Lamps?

Yes it was a good game and a good performance by Frank and the Boys. But lets be honest, it was Hattersfield. If we were to judge players by this game, Pizarro should be in the first 11, and I don't think anyone is so bold as to claim that.

Stowe I completely agree, FORZA INTER! Should be a funny game that one!

When tere's a nee to score a goal would you rather see Ballack with the ball at his feet waiting to baloon it over the way he does, or Lampard slotting it clinically in the way HE does?