Scolari named as new Chelsea manager

Sorry, can't resist it

I hate to say I told you so……..”murmuration of cartoon starlings spelling the word Scolari the word across the sky”

One word...Gutted.

Expect an exodus of players for definite now and Chelsea FC to slide down the Premiership, big time.

As The Fast Show's Unlucky Alf might well say

"Bugger"

@TG

Let's hope your premonitions are right for the rest of the summer.

Please say that we're gonna sign Van der Vaart, Villa, Robinho and Kaka.
Then say that we'll sell Boulahrouz, Belletti, TBH, Maka, SWP, Sidwell, Malouda, Anelka, Sheva, Pizarro, Drogba.

Maybe your visions will come true.

You are dead .You are so dead. Prepare yourselves for pain. Lot´s of pain.

Ok being portuguese i´m glad .Good riddance Scolari.

But i also feel sorry for Chelsea. You are going to experience "something" very "boink" in lack of better word...

My simpathies to all of you...

By the way: the guy doesn´t coach a serious football club in arbout 12 years and all the clubs that he coached played with coconuts.

It´s very sad for Chelsea, but a clear statement about the lunacy and spoiled "child attitude" of the owner of Chelsea.

You all complained about AG and is substitutions; prepare yourselves for something worst....

I liked Habs's list of +ves and -ves, but despite my severe misgivings he is the coach and so gets the chance. I'm worried about the England boys a bit here as the ethos has been to keep the spine, but if he persuades Kaka to come and Riccy to staty then all well and good BUT I don't want an Arsenal-lime team with no English players in it. I do NOT want Brazilian and Portuguese players only thanks...a recipe for disaster.

Having said all of that, I am partial to the odd ....ahem...Brazilian :-)

Chill guys. Be positive. Its done and dusted. Im feeling the same way too but what can we do? It least he's ALOT better than Toady?

JANG

We'll see if he's better at the end of his first season..

To coin a phrase; "I have a bad feeling about this.."

Does this mean we'll be ...ahem...shorn of our unwanted undergrowth?

Underwhelmed.

An interesting summer ahead, that's for sure.

Still Portugal won today....but it was a close shave....

I'll get my own coat again....

Fuck me he does look like Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle though.....

I've heard he's a bit of a nut though

OK, OK ...I'll stop now (maybe)

I'm a little gutted about Scolari but i'm not in a panic like Dissidentex. He's won the world cup, he has a connection with Quaresma, Robinho, Kaka and he's famed for his man management. However i hope that he doesn't just buy his previous players and fails to see that we NEED Villa, Aguero and Van der Vaart ahead of the easy options of many portugese and Brazilian players. The one thing i HATE about his appointment is his style. Kenyon kept saying that building the brand is why we tour USA, China, Russia every pre-season and yet he's 60 years old, doesn't wear the same stylish sutis as Jose or Laudrup and he can't FUCKING SPEAK ENGLISH. How is he gonna tell JT and Lamps how to play if they don't understand him?

Anyway let's put our positive heads on. WE HAVE A MANAGER!!!! Yay!!!

But Lolli, the exodus i want are the 11 players (see above) who are shit. If Ricky is gonna leave, it's because of his love for Jose and if Lamps leaves it's because of our stingy contracts. Not because of Scolari in my opinion. If we get the quality players: Van der Vaart, Villa, Aguero, Kaka we WILL WIN THE QUAD.

TONY

Stop being smutty! Or is it just my naughty mind doing overtime?!
Agree with you totally on our English quota in the team..
I foresee us being the "new Arsenal" under him. Only JT left that's English playing in an English club.
Outrageous!!

MAYBE Riccy will stay, not sure after his press conference yesterday.

Anyway, let’s look at his +/-ves

+ves:
1. PTR (yep roman loves his experience)
2. Will gain more respect from players than Avram
3. With a manager at least players will want to come to us.
4. Got some qualifications unlike Avram, which means proper training.
5. Could bring in Quaresma, Deco, Robinho, Kaka? Has worked with all of them.

-ves:
1. Doesn’t speak English
2. Portugal play shit football
3. Never managed a European club
4. Too fucking old. Gonna retire soon.
5. No style and doesn’t fit the brand.
6. Can he compete with Jose for players in terms of reputation and charisma? NO!
7. Will he start recruiting his Portugal team which means Moutinho over Van der Vaart?
8. No Laudrup.
9. Zola won’t be his assistant.

@LOLIPOP

Once again, we have to suffer the pain of waiting and anticipation. What will Big Phil's era bring to Chelsea? What kind of football will we see? All sorts of questions and ALOT OF DOUBTS! But thats part and parcel of being a modern Chelsea fan. If we can still churn out some nice results under Toady, im hopeful that Big Phil will be an improvement. Its not that we got someone worst than Average Grunt to take over us. At least we know that he tolerates no nonsense and means buisness. Come on man, lets get behind our new Grandaddy. I dont wish to waste time harping on this anymore. Its taking some toll on my lifespan and energy. I dont want to die until i see Chelsea lift the European Cup. =)

Sir Alan has chosen...

Claire and Lee which means it's gonna be Claire (Scolari)

So Sir Alan really is turning into Roman. A much poorer Roman though.

Do we change our tune from Liquidator to......Rio (Duran Duran for the younger amongst us). Will Stamford Bridge be renamed The Latin Quarter? Still, maybe the ladyboy demographic will increase on matchday.

I can't find that bloody coat.....

I think I'll give it to around October before responding - Shearer has just said on the tv that he'll probably advise Ronnie to go to Madrid. Which would be a decent enough start.

I have to say, I'm not exactly 'bristling' with excitement!!

Any coats left on the rack?

HABS

I could see us MAYBE getting Van der Vaart, MAYBE from the players you mention above. However, i doubt Villa will come to Chelsea. IF he comes to the Prem, i see him playing for Liverpool or Arsenal. As for Kaka, there's more chance of me meeting, marrying, and having a kid with SuperFrank than him coming to the club!!

Even though Alex (Laudrup) did better in my opinion in the final task, Sir Alan blindly chose Claire (Scolari) despite his +/- ves because that's who he wanted from the start.

What Roman says is final after all.

JANG

Agree..it IS draining..but this news fills me with absolute dread..i wish i shared your optimism.. :((

If Scolari doesn't bring the Samba football Roman's been craving then who will. In my opinion the manager, if he's a one in a million (Jose) can be the MOST important factor. I remeber Jose winning us two league titles with good teams but not GREAT teams. We had Robben, Lamps and JT but we also had a shit Drogba, Tiago, Kezman, Smertin and Jarosik. We won them because of Jose.

However if we have a GREAT team, then a good coach can bring us the same or more success. If Roman delivers the Kakas, Agueros, Villas, then we will play great football and win everything. Just imagine what would have happened if Jose had been given the £100m Scolari will get?

@ Lolli...is that Frank walking up your drive?

Who knows about Scolari and the Euro's, maybe he'll 'shave' the best until last

Fuck me, this blog needs a cloakroom attendant these days

Like any other bosses who interview potential employees, Roman looks at the CV. Big Phil Scolari has the World Cup in his resume which is very telling. I would love Laudrup or Deschamp to be given the chance at the managerial post of Chelsea. But our owner doesnt think that way most probably.

The new manager may be old and possibly retiring soon but im sure Roman will know about that. Like duh, he’s not that stupid at all so why is he appointing someone who is going to retire soon? Wheres the logic?

Big Phil could be building the platform for our new and beautiful style of football for the present and also for the forseeable future. He will ne the pioneer of the new project and when the likes of Laudrap or Sparky are ready in 4 to 5 years time (They should be around 50-55 by then maximum), the baton will be passed on to the supposedly ‘younger generation’ of managers for ‘on probation’ candidates.

Any other logical deductions or hypothesis?

HABS: I´M PORTUGUESE.

I´m happy that the guy get the hell out of here. But i´m feeling very sorry for Chelsea.
The only thing that Scolari has that other managers don´t have is LUCK. As we say here " the guy was born with the ass turned to the moon", because apart fro that he is a moron.

Politicaly the guy is left wing: he like sPinochet; thinks that he was a great lider.

In football terms, he didn´t make any kind of progression with the team os Portugal.

In the national team the guy didn´t work at all.

he is learning english from about 1 year now, but he doesn´t understand squat of european football. Despite the fat thathe is already in europe for 6 years.

Th behaviour that he was with the press is atrocious. When he doesn´t like the questions that are being asked he leaves the room.

He makes appeals to the "cristian" feelings of the players etc,etc.

And the guy does not coach at a club level some 12 years.

It must have been a great contract ...for him

Sir Alan has said...

"Lee, you're hired."

WHAT THE FUCK. That means Claire (Scolari) didn't get it and that Lee (Mark Hughes) won it. Should Roman have followed Sir Alan and chosen Hughes over Scolari?

TONY

I WISH!!! :)))

Error: the guy is extreme right wing...

Remeber when the Sun said that the final two candidates, Rijkaard and Mancini will be interviewed on Roman's yacht this week? Well they're wrong, again. I also remember when they said we'd sign Dos Santos.

So basically, just take what they say to be the opposite of the truth. When they say Lamps will leave, he'll stay. So i for one hope i'll be reading that Lamps will sign for Inter on the Sun's website, because i won't know what to do without SuperFrank. Without him as our vice captain, our no. 8, our penalty taker, our fans favourite, how can i ever watch Chelsea again?

HABS

You and I are singing from the same hymnsheet there hunny! x
The thought of losing Didier is bad enough for me but to lose Lampsie?..i'd be absolutely devastated..

@ 30 Habs - Lamps may be our nominated penalty taker but Ballack is by far our best one.

An excellent appointment imho. The indication is clear that a wholesale change of football is required, and that is what Scolari will aim to produce.

If we can replicate the foraging fullbacks of Cafu & R.Carlos, along with a genuine playmaker behind an accomplished striker, we are going to get our moneys worth of entertainment.

Scolaris success hinges not on the players but on the backroom team. Would Zico work as his No 2, is that too ambitious?

Just a moot point about Mourinho, (who walks only with Botham amongst the Gods in my eyes), is that he has never engaged in his career with sexy football, and is unlikely to do so at Inter either. He is clinical, smart & efficent and he used his charisma as the power shield of deflection from his football style. Not a crticism mind, however with Scolari, Roman is taking a chance but if it comes off.....well there won't be too many on here complaining.

Scolari fact file

skysports.com:

1948: Born Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, November 9.


Playing career as a defender with Aymore, Caxias, Novo Hamburgo, Juventude and CSA.

1991: Coached Criciuma to the Brazilian Cup (Copa do Brasil) and to the Santa Catarina state title (Campeonato Catarinense)

1993: Joined newly-promoted Gremio, one of Brazil's most high-profile teams and led them to the Brazilian Cup.

1995: Won Copa Libertadores de America, an annual competition between the top clubs in South America, after defeating Atletico Nacional of Colombia in the final.

Reached the final of the Intercontinental Cup, contested by the European and South American champions but lost to Ajax in a penalty shoot-out.

Runners-up in the Brazilian Cup.

1996: Claimed national championship (Campeonato Brasileiro) defeating Portuguesa in the final.

1997: Joined Palmeiras, one of the top supported clubs in Brazil based in Sao Paolo.

1998: Won the Brazilian Cup. Runner-up in the Mercosur Cup, played between clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile.

1999: Won Copa Libertadores de America beating Deportivo Cali of Colombia. Lost 1-0 to a Roy Keane goal against Manchester United in the Intercontinental Cup final.

2000: Joined Cruzeiro.

2001: June - Invited to become Brazil coach to replace Emerson Leao with the team in danger of missing out on the 2002 World Cup after a poor qualifying tournament. Lost first game 1-0 to Uruguay but secured qualification.

2002: May/June - Withstood public pressure to include 1994 World Cup legend Romario in his squad for the tournament in South Korea and Japan despite being the leading goalscorer in Brazil. Scolari remained unmoved by Romario's tearful appeal on TV and unaffected by criticism of what were seen as defensive tactics.

Ronaldinho's long-distance lob over David Seaman which went into the goal off the underside of the bar before being sent off secured a 2-1 victory over England in the quarter-final.

Won World Cup for the fifth time in Japan and South Korea as two goals by Ronaldo secured a 2-0 win over Germany.

December - Took over as manager of Portugal.

2004: June/July - Led Portugal to another quarter-final win over England in a penalty shoot-out after the teams were level after extra-time.

Became the first foreign coach to lead any team to the finals of the European Championship after beating Holland in the semi-final but lost 1-0 to shock winners Greece.

2006: Emerged as leading contender to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson as England coach.

April 28 - Ruled himself out of England job.

June/July - Led Portugal to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Germany, losing 1-0 to France. Portugal also lost the third-place play-off 3-1 to the hosts.

July 14 - Signed new two-year contract with Portugal.

December - Confirmed his intention to quit Portugal at the end of his contract.

2007: February 6 - Revealed desire to work in England in the future

September 20 - Handed a four-match ban by Uefa following a clash with Ivica Dragutinovic during the Euro 2008 qualifier with Serbia. The ban was later reduced on appeal.

November 21 - Portugal secured place at Euro 2008 with a 0-0 draw against Finland. Scolari stormed out of post-match press conference after the team's performance is criticised.

November 23 - Was again linked with England job after Steve McClaren left the post, but vowed to see out Portugal contract.

2008: April 10 - Revealed he had been approached by Mexico about vacant coaching job.

May 7 - Denied he had been approached by Manchester City.

May 31: Chelsea deny making contact with Scolari.

June: Led Portugal to victory in their first two games at Euro 2008, 2-0 against Turkey and 3-1 against Czech Republic.

June 11: Confirmed as new manager of Chelsea, to take over on July 1.

Main highlights: 2 Copa Libertadoras(South America's Champions League), some domestic trophies and the World Cup. Surely he's CV is better than what some of us expected? Or better than managing Isreal who were 'on the brink' of qualifying for the World Cup. Lets wait and see how everything unfold...

#33

Thats still a big 'if'. How do you guys reckon Scolari and Mourinho would use the 100m warchest? Who would make the better buys and make us play the beautiful game the beautiful way? Perhaps thats what has been going through the mind of our great owner. And he concluded that he should go for the traditionally swash buckling Brazillian. And perhaps, thats his logic for appointing Big Phil?

Interesting take from Phil McNulty from the Beeb - one thing is for sure - he won't be a lackey for Roman.

LINK

Agree that we've got quite a good manager, not a great one though. So 7/10 for you Kenyon.

Next stop for Kenyon has to be bringing in and shipping out players. We need 10/10 for him on player recruitment. No more TBHs, Pizarros, Maloudas, Anelkas... Come on Kenyon, bring in some greats.

Just shoot me...
First, we changed Mourinho for GRant, who was good but not good enough...and of course Abramovich didn't have patience for him.
Now, we got this hot tempered guy, who is 60 years old and I am not sure about his club-football-manangment.
AND I hoped for Didier Deschamps but now my hopes are over...if we win anything more than a FA Cup spit on me...
Ok...I have to calm down...maybe he's going to be good?
Maybe.
LINK

Right!
here is the list of people I want Big Phil to slap. I mean slap really hard so that they bust a ear drum!

1. Nemanja Vidic/ Carlos Tevez (for acting up like sore bastards during the CL final)
2. Wenger (Make sure you slap him twice so hat he sees atleast one of them)
3. Mad Rafa (Actually sock him and repeatedly ask him What? What? )

Wish he does it - get fired or whatever. There is just too much negative vibes that come along with this signing! For fucks sake..whats the idea when he cant speak English!


I'll wait for Zola...whatever long it takes!

I'm not happy at all and i probably won't feel better about the new appointment in the morning.
Sorry JANG but the "CV" doesn't impress me at all. However, as with Avram, i'm willing to sit back and see how things pan out. IF he comes good, i'll say i was wrong to doubt him.
I just have really bad vibes about him though that i wish would go away..

Going to bed..i feel a depression coming on!!

@TONY

I like what i read despite his lacking of speech in English. He's a motivator and school headmaster who takes no nonsesne. We need an ego or personality as big as his to handle the other big egos combined together in the dressing room.

Phil McNulty made me feel a whole lot better. Finally we'll be headline makers for unimportant yet hugely entertaining things like touchline antics, shouting at refs and of course press conferences. He says he can match Jose for press conferences, but hilarious and controversial press conferences in Portugese will be something new. Let's look on the bright side:

For Kaka, the Bridge is awaiting. Maybe now, we'll finally sign some great players who aren't over the hill.

Not overwhelmed, I have to say - a big gamble on most points other than his track record. Could be an interesting season. Think he is a suitably decent enough name to stop any huge player exodus though and could attract some interesting players, but we'll have to see.

And with respect Dissidentex, did Scolari pinch your girlfriend or kill your dog or something? You can't seem to make up your mind whether he's a fascist or a communist and you are doing something of a disservice to his work with your national side; a World Cup semi and a Euro final is hardly a disaster. We're all for a bit of heated debate on here, but do calm down, would you? It sounds like some sort of voodoo doll would be better for you than a blog right now.

14. Habs · 9:47 PM · 11th June
I agree with most of the things you said.

39. ravenous1 · 10:23 PM · 11th June
now I am going to sound disgusting... but...you now...I like Wenger :) .I think he's nice person and a great coach...sorry guys.And he doesn't deserve such a behavior like he got from Ferguson and Mourinho...
But I agree with you...somebody URGENTLY needs to slap Vidic...man ,why didn't Terry allow him to slap Drogba?!
p.s. In my opinion Quaresma is overrated player.

Well...here is my list XD (I am against violence in football , but I need to cheer myself up with something)

1.Sir Alex Ferguson -I have respect for his age and for everything he has done at Manchester United but he is very annoying and never minds his stuff...
2.Cristiano Ronaldo-Unlikely to happen...but...god dammit...please!
3.Nemanja Vidic-Arrogant, prick...

@HABS

Yea, he's quite a good manager but not a great one yet. That is due to his lack of experience at club level for 12 bloody years! But lets hope fortune will favour the brave as i honestly think that Roman took a brave or stupid gamble(however you like to call it LOL) to appoint this hot tempered old geezer. If it works, we will love him to bits like how we dote on our grandparents and reap the benefits such as bragging rights expansive/exciting football. If he doesnt succeed, we will squash him to bits and not roast him like what we did to the toad. At least he still has his body intact... :\

You have to believe that this will persuade Carvalho to stay which is at least a glimmer of good news. And we've desperately been needing a striker and Portugal have tons of them...right? ;)

On the bright side:
Will probably play 4-3-3, a system our players are fairly used to
Could recruit some top players (Robinho, Quaresma)
Is not Roberto Mancini

It's not all bad: we've gone from Grant, an inexperienced, passionless nobody, to Scolari, a World Cup winning Brazilian, in the space of less than a month.

Scolari likes attractive, attacking football and doesn't suffer fools or egos gladly, if you believe what's been written about him.

And at least players are more likely to want to come and play for us now.

While I'm feeling a little underwhelmed at his appointment, there's a spark of excitement in me too. All of a sudden I can't wait for next season to get under way.

Yeah...he is not Roberto Mancini...thats not bad...too bad.
Anyway...If he for example, buys Quaresma and he could buy Ribery or Robinho I will come to Stamford Bridge and repeat that scene with George Clooney from Syriana...to him.
Always look on the brighter side of life...fuck.

Perhaps a few questions to ask aourselves and see if Scolari is tbe right appointment:

1) Is he better than all the candidates involved in this managerial saga?
2) If he is better or worst, where does he stand or fare amongst the candidates for the Chelsea job?
3) Surely he has to do a better job than Average Grunt? At least, he's better than what we have?
4) How many boxes does he ticks?

I asked myself all these things and i concluded that he's not the perfect man for a club like Chelsea, but he's a decent enough one or above average who has a good chance to take us by surprise and pull THE RABBIT OUT OF THE HAT! So lets wait and see...

Guys, Avram Grant is NOT a bad manager.

PEOPLE!!!!
I'm as skeptic as most of you about Big Dr.Phil but, look at the full half, he is:
1-A manager who's respected by his squad
2-(Forget about HorseFace), A manager whose squad is playing very good football at the moment conceding one set-piece goal in two games against good teams.
3-Good tactician, be realistic, two Copa Libertadoras, one world cup and sme little things here and there, is it only luck? then I'm Micky Mouse...
4-Not media-friendly but neither is media-hated, he's well balanced between attacking ALL the other opponents (like TSO) and arselicking (TOAD)
5-Has a name that will surly attract some good names.

I don't know if this would be consulting, but I was watching Switzerland-Turkey match on Al Jazeera Sports and to my big surprise (and disgust) Arsene Wenger was the guest to analyze the game when the news about CFC appointing Phil came and Arsene was NOT happy about the that AT ALL...

Anyway, let's just give him his chance like we did TOADY, still to early to make a judgment...

KTBFFH

Typos, how to get rid of'em? ah, maybe going to sleep (00:50 a.m. here in Syria)

Good night y'all :)

I'm also looking forward to our preseason tour of China and Russia. Now we will be champions of the Railways Cup. We have a passionate and slightly crazy manager who'll create headlines... so yay!

HOWEVER, i just hope he buys a range of players and doesn't go for the simple option of Portugese and Brazilians above all others:

Deco instead of Van der Vaart.
Quaresma instead of Robinho (Well we're bound to get one)
Moutinho instead of Kaka (Again we should get one)
Figo instead of Aguero (Yep it could happen!!!!)
Nuno Gomes instead of Villa (Well he did make him captain and Scolari is crazy)

And in my opinion Ricky is still gonna wear the black and blue stripes of Inter. He has already said that Scolari will not change his opinion over his future so expect him to sign for Inter as soon as Portugal are knocked out. Hopefully they'll be knocked out in the quarters so that he can start planning for preseason with new staff, new coaching methods, new scout reports and most importantly new players.

Hopefully he'll need some English speaking staff... Clarkey, Brendan Rodgers, Zola?

We don't need midfielders except wings. We have too many of them...too many really good of them, so this year Essien had to play as right back, because of Ballack!
We need a wing,a striker,a second choice goalkeaper.
I would do anything for Villa to come...and thats a possibility.

I think we'll find that the English press will be after Big Phil soon enough. Yes he maybe 'the best Brazilian coach' (someone here in the office in Brazil), but he is also someone who when he was at Palmeiras instructed the ball-boys not to give balls back quickly to the opposition when Palmeiras were leading and was tape-recorded through an open dressing room window telling his team to kick the opposition among other things. I believe he has a long charge sheet of similar offences. We may be in for a bumpy ride again.

Scolari was managing at club level up until about 7 years ago when he took the Brazil job.

I suspect this was a done deal a while ago, hence Grant's swift removal and the "extremely happy" statements re the search for a manager that have come from the club since then.

The timing of the announcement is interesting - he may have wanted it kept quiet until Portugal had negotiated the group stages, but it might be that we're talking to players and it became necessary to reveal the appointment. Think the club deserve a little bit of credit for their handling of things in this instance.

Question marks hung over all the candidates suggested - was never completely convinced by Rijkaard or Mancini, so let's see how 'Big Phil' does.

"Chelsea have just appointed Jose Mourinho in Gene Hackman's body." - Henry Winter in tomorrow's Daily Telegraph.

Well...at least. This is not the worst choice (I mean, its not Mancini or Rijkaard).

Well Popeye Doyle is on board. I think Roman is a big fan of the French Connection

Age - the fact that he is 59 and still going means he is either looking for one big pay day or its in his blood. Like Robson, Ferguson, Wenger, Trappatoni, Lippi he may be one of those who just wont give it up. So his age and experience should be viewed positively until proved otherwise.

Is he the first Brazilian to manage in England?

And in common with some other bloggers let me finish by waxing lyrical:

Jose won't be BACK,
Avram's had the SACK
Let Big Phil have a CRACK

Its OK, I didn't bring coat....

''Big Phil versus Sir Alex sounds almost like a prize-fight and the technical areas for Chelsea-United fixtures will be fascinating''
This part of the text I like the most.

Well it’s difficult to make some future telling about how Scolari will be in Chelsea. He has a very strong personality not to say a very stubborn one. If think after the honey moon period is gone, his relationship with Roman may be even more chaotic than with was under Mourinho's period. Regarding results, it’s difficult to say. He has achieved good results in his career so far. He will continue to have good players at Chelsea, the big question is how he will fit to the English football (its some thing like 180° different from what he his used to so far), and how he will deal with the press. I guess in Chelsea he will achieve also good results, even the CL, but some how I think it will not be an easier relationship...with the owner and the English football in general.

I have objected appointment of Avram Grant from the first day. I have not changed my opinion to the last day, to the final of the CL and after it. Why do I say it, just because I want to tell you that you have to be responsible for what you are saying. Today I want to say that, to my opinion, we have found may be not the best, MAY BE, but definitely THE RIGHT and the most appropriate man to stabilize our squad, work out our style and calm media anxiety around us. I believe this is the right appointment.
Come on Chels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

62. MikeL · 11:17 PM · 11th June
Maybe you are right.
Maybe...
But I don't believe he will calm media anxiety.He once punched a journalist during his career.

He once punched a journalist during his career.

There's a few he could add to that list over here and make a lot of people very happy!

Im absolutley shocked, Scolari failed to beat Finland, Serbia and Poland in Qualifying so how is he going to win the CL? :((((((

On the bright side his appointment will surely convince Riccy to stay and players from the Portuguese National Team might come and maybe Robinho

Is he known as big Phil because he's the longest in the shower?

I'm not overjoyed, but more because of the missed opportunity to start something fresh than because of any deep suspicion of Big Phil.

As people are saying, at least he's a more than competent manager who can build a team and has the presence that may keep some of our more important players at the club.

He won't get much slack if things don't go perfectly, though, and I wonder how much of a bond there'll be with the fans.

Incidentally, I'm with JD on the way the club has done this. I wish they'd made a bolder appointment, but if Scolari was always their no. 1 target -- and there's now no reason to think otherwise -- then one has to confess it's been fairly smoothly done.

What doesn't make any sense to me is why they've gone for a Portuguese-speaking coach with a very strong personality, a total commitment to winning by any means, and who'll refuse to toady to the owner. Or rather, why they didn't stick with the one they already had. God knows Scolari doesn't give a monkey's about shexhy football -- if he'd coached Sweden and Scotland instead of Brazil and Portugal, he'd have been a Route 1 merchant.

Driving José out looks like an ever stupider move than it did in September -- quite hard to manage that, really.

Im still excited to see what happens in the summer, What players we bring in? Who will be his assistant? (Hopefully Clarky). Just think about 4 months ago we all thought that AG was going to stay, At least we have a top manager who can get the best out of players and demand respect

Guys ! Guys ! Guys !
40 years a blue "Osgood is good" etc we have had a rollercoaster season Grant did ok "not so sure if he knew what he was doing all the time" but he cracked on from Jose! This is 21st century football! managers come and go players follow the € $ £ and Lamps,Essian, Ricky and even JT should be allowed to move on if the right offer comes along they owe us nothing all played for the jersey! Remember the Tinkerman came 2nd in the Premiership and the Semi's in Champions League, Jose won two Titles and semi final Champions league, Grant got to the final and lost the plot in the league (so close) "prediction" Big Phil 3rd in the League and win the Champions League who knows just fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride! PS: Still cant talk about the event in Russia 50 years of age and still cant accept defeat (to the scum) graciously!!!

interview with Scolari for BBC in english.

LINK

JONATHAN DYER: (43)

The guy his extreme right wing politically. One of the first things that he tell in portugal when he arrived was that he thought that Pinochet was an outstanding leader...( i made an error in my second comment and swap the words left for right...)

In football terms i dislike him intensely for a vast number of reasons.

When he took charge of Portugal in 2002, the idea was to prepare the team for the euro 2004. The guy had the team of Porto of Mourinho( don´t know if you know that one...)who had recently conquered Uefa cupa and the champions league.

Scolari just to make a point( a stupid point) ignored the team that Mourinho had assmbled and spent 2 years of prepatation games for 2004 placing and chosing players wrong.Not selecting the midfield of Porto...

Then came Greece and Portugal lost the opening game, and the idiot change the time pressured by the results, and portugal went all the way to the final, which he lose ALSO because the man did a poor work in studying the rivals.

He worked as a motivator and a creator of emotions here in Portugal to assemble an atmosfere os support to the national team, but in terms of football , of tactics,of a concept of the game, a game model, the man is crap.
(In 6 years with Portugal, he never tested anything but the 4.3.3 system even against minions...)

It´s a slightly enhanced version of S. Mclaren. Mourinho dislike him intensely when he was coaching Porto, and people near Porto as a club stated in rádio shows after 2004 that no top club in Europe would take Scolari as a coach.(At the time Everton made some questions about it and that´s it)


He pre formats (at least that´s what he did here) the team to achieve a certain point, people like that a lot and forget to "demand" more than that.

That´s why the portuguese team will not be the winner of 2008.
Also he is extremely conservative chosing players.
One player could be begging to go to the bench some months ago and we will not put him on the bench.Just to make a point.
First the player needs to play extremely bad lot´s of time and games.

Then the "agent" a person named "ACAZ" is floating around... and some players are chosen exactly for that...

Then there is the concept of "family" that he likes to introduce in a footbal team, being Scolari the father and the players the chidlren that he educates...

If it is obvious that a player should be playing and that same player says that loud in public, Scolari doesn´t pick him, precisely because the player said that.(That´s why Maniche and Marco Caneira of Valencia weren´t selected for the euro 2008 and Paulo Ferreita is playing left back...)

This passes as being discipline, but it is not.(This is what he has done with the portuguese team).

I understand that you there in England are "impressed" By the fact that Portugal beat Engand twice, but here, the idea(among coaches specially) was that he almost cost us the victory against England.

This is not a provocation, but the individual quality of the english players in technical aspects is very low, and football is not just "big heart" when playing..

I´m very pleased that he leaves, concerned about Chelsea, and concerned about the next qualyfing round for world cup 2010, because the new portuguese coach will have to clean the mess that Scolari leaves behind.

I don't understand why everyone is so dour. I took a look at Scolari and his tactics in the Turkey game, and wrote about it (link in name).

I think that he will fit in well tactically with the players we have, and will bring good ones. He has the SGE advantage of scouting all of the national teams in Europe for talent. I'd love to have Villa, but I'd also take an unheralded striker the way SGE snapped up Elano. He took a feuding Brazil and turned them into winners.

If you don't think winning the WC with Brazil is a serious achievement, then why don't they win it every time? Why don't we and Real Madrid win the CL every year? The guy wins at every level. I think that is the most important criteria in a manager...

I'm not predicting a treble, but I believe Big Phil will do well. Count me as one of the few optimists on here.

With players we don't need many: 1 Centre back, 1 midfielder, 1 winger, 2 world class strikers, 1 young striker

Centre back should be Mancienne, midfielder should be Van der Vaart, Winger should be Robinho and as for strikers, well if the blank cheque rumours are true pick two from: Kaka, Aguero, Villa, Eto'o, Benzema, Huntelaar and then Di Santo will be brought in to learn his trade.

I hope Clarkey will stay, Brendan Rodgers will be promoted and Zola may even come in as another english speaker.

Dissidentex - I think we get the message; you aren't keen on Scolari - now move on, would you?

Dissidentex does seem obsessed with Scolari. I see his perceived negatives: controversial, crazy, angry, confrontational as positives for a club who are run in a crazy way and for a club who always loves the headlines.

SO bring on BIG PHIL and some BIG PLAYERS.

KTBFFH: Keep the Brazilian Flag Flying High

Thank you Roman for not choosing Frank Rijkaard, I hate that man and would never accept him as Chelsea manager!

Roman is such an adventurous businessman; he has had Portuguese and Israeli managers, now he wants to try a Brazilian one! I quite like Scolaris' track record, and I certainly don't judge him by personal prejudice and some silly gossips. I just hope Steve Clarke would stay and help him to adapt English football. It must be the first time Chelsea are managed by a South American, so I hope he would also make history in term of trophies!

I welcome the new manager to this wonderful Chelsea family! Please Scolaris don't wear a black shirt! :-)

Well, I can't say I am surprised that RA went for a big name and they don't come any bigger than 'Big Phil' and his appointment has certainly generated some interesting comments !

I actually don't yet have any opinion on how Scolari will go managing club after years managing international teams. Only time will tell but it will be a big shift for a man in his 60s. One thing is for sure it will generate some interesting press conferences during next season and it will be interesting to see how he shapes up to PurpleNose and Whinger.

Whats of more importance now is what happens on the player front. We won't know now until 1 July earliest when all the players have finished their 'summer break' in Switzerland/Austria. Who will see playing for Big Phil is an interesting prospect and will decide who comes and who goes. Hopefully Frankie and Riccie stay..

The appointment of Scolari may well scupper any possibility of Zola joining or Clarkie staying which is a real shame. I could be proved wrong of course.

Personally I cant wait until the Euros are over and the business of planning for next season starts for real.

KTBFFH

'The appointment of Scolari may well scupper any possibility of Zola joining or Clarkie staying which is a real shame. I could be proved wrong of course.'

I tend to agree, as Phil will obviously bring his own entourage with him. However, an English speaker in Clarkey may still be required and he may be impressed enough that he wants to stay on.

I was against his appointment yesterday, however having read a bit more about him in the press today, he seems to have a bit of charisma to him, and that is something we have been severely lacking of late.

I think he must have been given some assurances about being in full control, because he seems to be a big enough personality to not put up with interference.

And you have to love his work, in tapping up Ronaldo to sod off to Madrid, even before he has started in the job! Now that really is marvellous!

Watch out for this!
"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm World champion and I cinq I'm Big one"

@ Greenlight

Lets hope he can also convince Deco to join us and Riccy to stay. From what I hear Deco is playing really well in the Euros and maybe finding his old self again. Of course TSO will probably be chasing Deco as well.

BTW, popped into the Charles Dickens Pub on Sunday night for a quick pint, seemed to be a small boisterous crowd vaguely watching the euro action. Didn't stay long as we were on the way to somewhere else.

I have to admit that some part of me is hoping that portugal win euro 2008 just to spite Dissidentex.

That would be lovely.

Unless I am mistaken with the way the draw works, then a Portugal V Spain final in the Euros seems a possibility. Of course Germany and the Netherlands will have something to say and there is always the possibility of an outsider like Greece did in 2004 coming in to spoil the party.

So there is the possibility our new manager could be a Euro winner as well as a workd cup winner. Sounds good but can he manage a club in one of the toughest leagues in the world and do this week in week out...?

Feeling a bit more optimistic this morning, though i still don't think he's the best Manager we could of had. I'm not as unhappy as DISSSIDENTEX though i'm pleasesd to say!!!
At least we've got a Manager that we've all heard of, so that's a good thing i suppose!! I'm not knocking AG there, at least we were a very close second in the Prem and CL under him..will Phil go one better and WIN us the CL? It'll be interesting to see.

Pleased to see SSN are already pointing out the -ives. They say;
He's NEVER coached in Europe..
Majority of his coaching has been done in Brazil..
He turns 60 in December..
He'll be Chelsea's 11th Manager in McFergie's reign at Man Ure..
Odds are 8/1 on him LOSING his job by the end of the season..

positives, however are;
He's been given a blank cheque by Roman to spend, spend, spend..
He loves a good scrap!..watch out McFergie!..
Oh..and he's the Prem's first World Cup winner..

Good luck Uncle Phil, welcome aboard.
Just don't sell any more of our best players..but please take note of HAB's list (comment no.4)at the top of this link if you wanna know who we need to get shot of!

Up the Chels xxx

Avram never got a song but presumably if Big Phil can overcome the initial wave of negativity this must be a good candidate LINK (chorus only, obviously)

PEOPLE !!!!

Chill.... I think its too early to say all that about Scolari... After Grant all we needed is a good manager.... I agree he is not the best... but we are BLUE.... we all together are THE BEST.... we are not the best individual.... so lets cheers for our new manager.... we will definitely win everything this year together.....

cheers to Chelsea!!!!

count me in the minority on this blog as i think that after Guus (who made it clear he was staying with the ruskies) this is the best appointment we could make. has anyone thought that maybe just maybe after winning most of what there is to win in SA and the WC and getting to a euro final and perhaps going far again this time, big phil may be highly motivated to add the only gaps to his marvellous CV ie the ECL and winning a domestic championship in one of the big euro leagues. you don't achieve what he has by luck but you do if you are a highly motivated and skilled manager! i am confident he has the skill and desire that we have been sorely lacking since TSO.

Dissidentex you all too easily forget the shambles that Brazil were in in 2001 very nearly failing to qualify for the WC for what would have been the first ever time I believe. Then big phil comes turns them into a team with passion and desire and they win WC in some style. You also ignore the clear passion the present portugal players have, their teamwork and desire to play for their manager never mind their colours.

well done kenyon and avram for getting big phil and for doing so quickly so we can ensure we now don't lose other prized players to inter who no doubt have been approached by TSO since his appointment and we are now once again able to attract the best players to join the blue revolution!

viva la Chelsea!!!

Cast your minds back. Back to a time when it was sunny until past 9 p.m. A time when you could sit outside your favourite boozer enjoying a lager / cider / wine / babycham. A time where you could kick back and let to woes of another day in the office flow away as you check out the talent walking by. Back to a time where Switzerland and Turkey had just kicked off the second half.

That's right, about 21.10 hours last night. Now if you heard a blood-curdling, high-pitched wailing 'NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO' then it was me and my reaction to Motty telling me that Scolari has been appointed Chelsea manager.

'Shut up Motty' I thought. You old git, you've got it wrong. The game you're commentating on is so boring you must be surfing the t'tinterweb at the same time and happened upon www.whataloadofmadeupfootballnonsense.com.

I paused. What do I do ?? Then it hit me like a yellow breaking news ticker. '405' is the call. Mrs Fifty duly obliges with the remote (I'm still not trusted with it). I tap the keys qucker than ever before. Mr Murdoch's Sports News channel flickers into view. There it is, running across the bottom of the screen.

'NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO' again.

I feel underwhelmed. I dont know the guy but I dont like him. Is it my patriotism ? He seems to ruin national football tournaments for English fans by, well, having a better team. Is it the Ronaldo factor ?? Everyone hates him.

After a night of patchy sleep (not because of him, Fifty Jnr was up a bit and it's raining like buggery my way) I was hoping I'd have grounded myself a bit and my negative reaction would have changed. But it hasn't.

The only positive I can take from it is he wont be bending over and taking it from Roman. He will be his own man and do what he wants and buy who he wants. Unfortunately it seems it'll begin with Deco who's going to be 31 in August. Let's offer him a nice 5 year deal shall we ?? I watched Portugal last night. They were impressive, although the Czechs were poor.

- Deco was class but he has 2 seasons tops in him. Van Der Vaart has about 7.
- Bosingwa is like a younger Belletti but with less defending ability.
- Ronaldo falls over a lot. No, really, he does.
- Petr Cech almost, almost, pulled of the best triple save ever where he denied Ronaldo, then Deco once only for the defender to open his legs wider than the Grand Canyon for Deco to score.

I fear, like Tony mentioned last night, for the English core of the side. Joe Cole is probably o.k, as Scolari likes a flair player. Ashley and Bridgey must be worried as Paulo isn't good enough for our bench, but can play left back for his country. JT will stay, although I'm sure any unrest would see Jose in for him like a shot, albeit for an astronomical fee.

We've got a great squad, all it needs is a bit of pruning here and there. A massive over-haul isn't necessairly the way forward. Sign the 4 or 5 players were linked with EVERY DAY and things will be o.k, lets just hope he doesnt want to sign half the Portugese squad.

I cant go as far as saying I'm excited about him. I'm optimistic that having a few months between starting the job and starting the season we'll see new faces. If they are the 'right' ones who knows.

Still, no need to panic about the new manager now is there ??? We can just get carried away by which players we wont sign for the next fortnight.

I dont think it is that bad. He has won the world cup with a team that was exciting. He also knocked out england...twice!!

I think he will be good - his teams play with flair and he trusts those with skill to do a job unlike TSO who wanted robots. I cant see frank, JT, riccy leaving and i can see deco coming which isnt a bad thing provided we curb his party boy reputation.

Plus on the up side if Ronaldo asks him for advice, which he porbably will, as the chelsea manager is he going to say stay or go!! Yup thats right see ya ronaldo.

Lets see who he buys, only then will we be able to know if its all doom and gloom. One thing is for sure he can manage ego's so if eto'o comes he will get the best from him!

I have a very,very bad feeling about this. He has never managed a european club. We should have gone for Rijkaard. Does Scolari even speak english????

David Villa is the most wanted striker in Europe with Scolari favourite to land the £25m Spaniard.

Scolari will be handed a blank cheque to bring in new players and will spend up to £50m on Brazillian star Kaka.

The appointment of the Brazilian at Stamford Bridge could see the arrival of Barcelona midfielder Deco. Scolari could also convince Ricardo Carvalho to stay at the club.

England manager Fabio Capello told owner Roman Abramovich to make Scolari the new boss at Chelsea.

but more importantly :

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni faces the sack following a dressing room mutiny after his side lost 3-0 to Holland on Tuesday.

Get him out - he is only there because of the scandals - get lippi back in or mancini.

from the bbc.co.uk - a bit more positive - at least it should be amusing!:

Chelsea wanted a man of footballing stature - and perhaps even more a man of massive personality - when Avram Grant's low-key era was ended after the defeat in the Champions League final at the hands of Manchester United.

And there is no doubt the Blues have got one in the newly-appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foo...

'Big Phil', who is actually not all that big in the flesh, was a World Cup winner with his native Brazil in 2002, took Portugal to the final of Euro 2004 and the semi-final of the 2006 World Cup.

And he is currently in charge of a hugely talented Portugal side that shows signs of being serious contenders to win Euro 2008.

Scolari made a habit of out-flanking England - and now he comes among us to spread his own unique brand of showmanship and expertise.

And yet, there is a lingering feeling that Chelsea have taken a big gamble in going for a man who has, on occasions, made Jose Mourinho appear a model of diplomatic restraint.

One thing is certain - those who complained that Grant was just a little under-stated for their liking will love Scolari.

I observed the Brazilian at close quarters in three major tournaments and dull he isn't.

Scolari's touchline antics were dramas on their own but his media conferences were something else.

These confrontations were a heady cocktail of flamboyant gestures, fury, comedy, reconciliation, gurning and love - often all in a matter of moments.

He reacted to one vital win by telling the world's media that he was off to give his wife a hug - and perhaps a little more besides if the mood took them.

It was the sort of glorious, grandstanding stuff that might actually make those of us who still mourn Jose Mourinho's exit from Stamford Bridge forget about 'The Special One', at least for a little while.

Chelsea cannot be accused of appointing a pet for owner Roman Abramovich. Scolari is volatile and opinionated. If he has something to say he will say it.

And they have certainly made a statement of intent by appointing one of the biggest names in world football. If Chelsea crave profile and success, they have landed a man who has form for both.

He will be a welcome addition to the Premier League mix of top-class managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

But is he a comfortable fit for Chelsea? No-one can doubt this man's pedigree but there have to be question marks.

He has never managed at club level in Europe and all his recent experiences have been confined to the international stage, albeit successful ones.

Scolari's English, to the best of our knowledge, is almost non-existent, so that will be a hurdle to clear early on.

He also rejected an approach from England to succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson because he was unhappy about possible media intrusion, something he will have to confront at a club as newsworthy as Chelsea.

So yes, Chelsea are taking a gamble but there are huge pluses as the Premier League now plays host to another of the game's most charismatic figures.

Scolari is an advocate of attractive football and he is still hungry to make an impact at 59.

He has huge personality and presence and appears to carry his players with him in a manner similar to Mourinho.

Chelsea's star system will be dismantled. He does not play favourites - remember how he removed Portugal's iconic Luis Figo when they were behind to England in the quarter-final of Euro 2004?

Figo stormed to the dressing room but Scolari's change worked as Portugal won. The nation backed its inspirational coach ahead of its favourite son.

This is Scolari. Brave, a gambler and not a man to be messed with - whether this will work for Chelsea will become clear in time.

It is an appointment laced with risk but let's not carp - let's sit back and relish what will be a hugely enjoyable, if occasionally bumpy, ride.

88 Bluemunkeyfeet

I actually think that Scolari's arrival will mean goodbye to Frank, to make way for Deco...... Hope it doesn't happen, but we have enough central midfielders for Frank not to stick around if Deco arrives.

I don't feel so bad about his appointment having read the press. I read somewhere that the fixtures come out on Monday for next year, and I am quite looking forward to it now.

well peeps at least the transition from a Baron Greenback lookalike to a Gene Hackman one is not that bad.
To my best knowledge Greenback has never won an Oscar. Nor Grant a World Cup.
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and
91. Greenlight · 9:04 AM · 12th June

"I actually think that Scolari’s arrival will mean goodbye to Frank, to make way for Deco"


i'm not worrying for that. "shitting myself" describes it better.

I dont care anymore who the manager is. All I care about is that the process which Roman along with Mourinho started continues with whoever is in charge. That is, to stop man-U dominating English football again for the next ten years. Wenger can't be bothered and I believe he will leave next year, Rafa does'nt really give a hoot about the Prem. We need to stop United ruling football again in this country otherwise I and millions of others will make sure football in England will suffer by the turn-off from the boredom of it all. In fact it is already happening along with the Media's collusion it seems. After all, hands up who heard shouting from the rooftops about how we should stop Man-U dominating the Prem as all the media did with Chelsea after just two titles in 50 years! That one little act shows the Pro United bias in this country and against any team who dares challenge that. It comes from the same idealogical comments that "it was written in the stars that they win the Champions league" Do you all remember that a couple of weeks ago in the press"? This is why I loved Jose for what he wanted to do in English football. Keegan in reality is also of the same mould when he had his rant about how he would love to beat United. There are people in this game who realise the negatives about United being allowed to dominate or any club including Chelsea if I/we are honest. After all, if I knew we would win 9 out of 10 prems would it be that exciting? really? So you can imagine how other fans feel. So Roman has chosen Phil (Whom incidentally, I was asking for as a manager mainly to stick it up to the FA and the Man-u obsessed media). I don't know in reality if he will be any good or not. The only thing for me is that he does not have blood on his hands as Grant did which ultimatley unlike how the the deluded one would like us believe, cost us every cup there was..fact. A clever manager would have realised that to have beaten Wigan would have put us 2 points ahead of Man-U before the game at the Bridge. But Grant believed his own hype and thought beating United was the be and end all and would endear him to Roman and the fans etc when in reality that game was the lesser game. The overall strategy to win the prem was discarded in looking for flashy circus events like beating Man-U at the bridge when if Wigan had been beaten we would only have needed a draw at most.
So, is Scholari's appointment about overall strategy to win the prem or just Grant in disguise with a flashier louder circus exterior with no real tactical, strategic game plan to make sure we win the league not just have a few great swachbuckling battles for the cameras.? ....time will tell.

"Scolari promises real entertainment"


a whole season of 4-4 draws? i can't wait

Jonathan Dyer (75).

British hospitality in blogs is really different.

Comment 73 addresses Scolari's supposed problem with English for me. Despite his lack of complete fluency, he did express an understanding for the importance of accurate communication with the players.

My gut instinct is that we've really found the best candidate for the job, and I can't wait for August to come around. As a matter of fact, I think today I'll renew my membership. :)

@85 - I'm willing to sing that! 'Scolari, oh oh... Scolari, oh oh oh oh...'

P.S. If Jose was The Special One, does that mean Phil is The Big One?

OMG, the new manager has not arrived yet but all the doom merchants are already out in force!

Relax!

I've slept on it and read most of the reports this morning. One thing is definite, Chelsea provide the real entertainment in the Premier League off the pitch. Now we hope we can also provide it on the pitch - though Big Phil is obviously pragmatic and tends to work with the quality of the players he has. So his shopping list will make interesting reading as it points towards changes in our style of play.

Scolari will win us over with his passion for winning. He will win the players with his personality, tactical nous and preparation. I have no doubt about that. The Press? Fuck them. The other fans? Fuck them too - jealously motivates just about every critique of Chelsea they can come up with. The public? I think they'll actually go for him like they did Jose. Warming to a new personality in our midst, making the day brighter, adding to our general sense of fun. So I'm up for it now. Big time. And it makes the aberration that was Avram Grant's reign seem utterly surreal. Ain't it always the way at our club? A further reward is that it is already winding the Mancs up - big time.

Big Phil is advising Ronnie to go to Madrid. Pricceless! Utterly priceless! There will be all manner of accusations to which we can smile back knowlingly and shrug our shoulders. So you thought you controlled football in this country did you? Well, you don't control it in Europe. Fergie's extended network of friendly managers and directors does not extend beyond the UK. No one will do you any favours in this increasingly international world of football.

Blimey, it has also given me an added interest in the Euros. I had been supporting the Germans up till now. Partly to purge the ancient national animus from my system, partly because Michael Ballack is the leader and is one of ours...and I want him to win something big for once. But now I have Portugal as well to cheer. Three of our players and now the coach. It's almost like watching Chelsea.

'British' hospitality on blogs is just fine, Dissidentex - it's just monotonous, crazed one-subject bores that we object to.

@98:

I agree entirely. Yesterday, I wanted the Czechs to draw with the Portuguese just to make things interesting. Now I think I want the Portuguese to win, although in all honesty I'd be happy if the Netherlands got it as well after what they did to Italy. It'll be difficult supporting a team with Ronaldo in it, but it doesn't matter because hopefully he's heading to Madrid anyway. :)

We were all never going to agree on any individual as being the 'best' manager for the club...

Scolari should do well with the team...he's getting a solid bunch of players to work with, except for some positions with small question marks...

Right winger to keep JC mentally alert and sharp!
Striker(s)
Creative midfielder...if his preference is for deco or a yet to be mentioned 'other', then either frank or ballack must give way...from the look of things, Lamps is the one that has a ready market presently...considering all the talk about Inter and JM, he can go if he still wants to...

One thing is clear though...there should be more players leaving than coming in

Just have a funny feeling that unlike JM, his shortcoming in the english language may be a blessing in disguise cos he can occassionaly take jibes at the journos / bare his mind freely in portuguese or pidgin english and say he was misquoted by the media...just blame it on the translator/interpreter or any other person, or claim that it was a figure of speech!

One thing is sure though...we'v got an interesting season ahead of us...

The euros seems to be dragging...cant it be fast-tracked? Its holding a lot of things back!

Van Der Vaart, Villa and Robinho. We'll storm the place with them!

Danny - i am with you on that. I dont see it as doom and gloom. Its time for Chels to ruffle feathers again. :)

Although Deco is linked i cant see him being what we want. If you had £100,000,000 and if you needed to spend more you could would you buy him? Or would you try to test Reals resolve with Sneider, even offering DD in return? There are many other younger profiles that would work well and as such wouldnt mind a bit part role.

Villa and Robinho would be great Chris but i am still not sold on Van der Vaart. Anyone seen enough of him to change my mind?

BMF,

Saw enough of him against Italy to realise he's got to be worth a punt. Great vision. Not lightning pace, but full of running and good delivery.

Unlike Lamps and Ballack who we have, and Deco who we're (increasingly) likely to get, he's got age on his side. I'd rather test the resolve of Hamburg who, lets face it, aren't going to be able to keep him if he continues his current form. He's reportedly said he'd like to come to Chelsea and I'd prefer him to Deco every time.

As every man, woman, child and household pet who reads this blog knows, I have an unhealthy infatuation with David Villa, but I'm surprised at the clamour for us to sign Robinho.

All the Spanish games I watched last year, he seemed to drift in and out of them far too much, and is full of tricks. When there are no defenders near him. Nowhere near as consistent as I assumed he would be.

LINK

gazzetta dello sport reports Adebayor wants AC Milan. Badly.
wonder where does this put DD

105. Fifty · 11:22 AM · 12th June
"Saw enough of him against Italy"


against NL italy got just one thing right: put the right shirt on. so not sure its the right game to go by. still he got rave reviews from the italian press

Bluetone - I think DD will play for barca next year. How embarrassing was the game. For me it was a conspiracy - i havent let any of my colleagues tell me otherwise! :)

Fifty - cheers - i agree we need to go for the younger profile, we have enough oldies! in the side.

Robinho is also quite light - will he manage to play in the prem or will he just get knocked off the ball? Also is he that different to kalou - kalou drifts in and out and also has a poor end product.

Aguero would be a good shout. I just hope Kaka, Messi and Villa rock up - add J Cole to that and anelka/shev and we have a great offensive line.

LINK

Having reflected, I'm moderately satisfied. He's clearly a very good coach, despite what some argue and seems pleasingly barking.

This is surely confirmation that we're taking the European route, with Arnesen selecting the players, Kenyon paying for them and Scolari coaching. Time for Arnesen to start earning his money then.

What the blazes is the panic with "Big Phil"? Portugal look like they are going to win Euro 2008, for god's sake. He's a proven winner with tactical nous, can handle big egos, and he's entertaining. I for one am absolutely bloody thrilled. He will win the League and the Champions League for us, within 2 years. Ferguson and Wenger haven't won the world cup - let's have a terrace song about that!

Go Arnie!

LINK

Can't say I'm pleased, but let's just see how he does. I can't see how the 'attacking football' reason given by Roman has any meaning now that we've appointed someone who's Portugal side have hardly been playing with any more creativity and flair than Chelsea under JM.

I think we can reasonably assume the following now:
Lampard out, Deco in.

And if he was keen on Quaresma, he would have left the overrated shite Simao on the bench for their first two matches.

Jeez we're never pleased on here are we - we spend months moaning Avram Must Go and we want a real manager, then weeks complaining how long the club are taking to announce a replacement and how many targets we might be missing out on - and now the club make an appointment with megabucks to spend apparently and all we can [mostly] do is carry on whinging he's not the right man.

OK I admit I've expressed real doubts about Big Phil on here several times too - but the deed is done and as Portugal have cancelled today's planned press conference hopefully he'll avoid the Brit Press Pack harrassing him into changing his mind before he even arrives.

At least we've got a manager with a status which isn't a joke in top class football again - and that audio link above [@71] suggests his English is already at least on a par with Ranieri's when he finally started taking press conferences himself - and he's just been shrewd enough to body swerve questions by feigning ignorance recently.

Older readers might compare it to 1996 when we got The Wild and Crazy Guy [Gullitt] who took us on an unpredictable rollercoaster ride rather than the Ancelotti-like dullard [George Graham]touted first.

The Gene Hackman look-a-like trait has sent me on an imdb inspired stream-of-consciousness:

The Replacement [2000] may have been appointed on a Split Decision [1988] but he’s clearly a Prime Cut [1972] and a bit of a Loose Cannon [1990] who’s used to being Under Fire [1973]. He may take Extreme Measures [1996] and demand Absolute Power [1997] to turn back the Crimson Tide [1995] and defeat the Reds [1981].

He may Get Shorty [1995] in to help produce a Class Action [1991] team with lots of good Night Moves [1975]. Let’s wait till Superman [1978] and his Heartbreakers [2001] provide that EPL/CL double Eureka [1984] moment if only by a Narrow Margin [1990] – and then go on to do it Twice in a Lifetime [1985].

Getting coat from peg now...

Also according to Skysports which i nipped home to watch at lunch there is a certain ex world player of the year who has seen a dip in his performances who happens to come from the same town as him in Brazil. Ronnie they speculate will follow shortly after deco!

It was big phil who was credited with turning the brazil team around (they nearly didnt qualify for the World cup in 02) and that was down to the big man getting the best from him!! At 28 - he still has so much to give and if we have villa and eto'o up top - my word!!

Loving it!

@BBD #115

I raise my hat (Pork-Pie of course) in admiration

OUT OF ALL THE PRETENDERS, BIG PHIL STANDS OUT.
HOWEVER, WITH A HISTORY OF THE MANS TEMPERAMENT I HOPE THE BOARD GIVE HIM ENOUGH SPACE, OTHERWISE SOMEONE WILL GET HURT.
BIG PHIL IS IN THE HOUSE.
Hey Phil no DECO, i will never forgive that guy for some spiteful stuff he said about us while in Barca, there is a younger DECO called van dar vaart.
OH didier you can stay, the manager thing is sorted out now. i know u love the strong men, if you were a chick u probably marry a woman beater.

@BBD #115

Seconded - a Hackman related masterwork!

A pretty good appointment all in all, especially if, as it seemed, there was a limited choice of real candidates.

I'm looking forward to some passion in the dug-out and a clear strategy for the players to adhere to. For a while there last year they seemed to be managed by committee.

We have all that pain and hunger from last season to motivate us, so let's get behind the team and the new manager.

Very good decision - at last some positive news from chelsea after the rumours of riikiard and ancelotti coming at the bridge! hopefully riccy and most of the lads will stay and we can get kaka and/or deco as well. big phil is the best manager in the world along with jose & capello. world cup winners with brazil, finalist at euro and semi finalist at wc with portugal and might well win the euros this year.he's a strong disciplanarian and that is what is needed.

lookin forward to seeing him at the bridge...

people...
it doesn't matter if he is right or left wing...
its totally irrelevant.

everyone on this blog is hoping for a villa or aguero....i also want this its not realistic.100million is not that much.buying robinho for cash gonna be at least 40mill. villa with his performances gonna be at least 30-40 mill. class wingers queresma and joaquin could will be little cheaper expect to pay 20 mil or less. Losing lampard because he wants a contract that does not qualify his quality....i know it hard to hear but anyone with contract of 150 000 per week should be in top 3 in world .....eg messi ,ronaldo , kaka.unbelievable that he is being so greedy.....would hate to see him go but it wont be train smash.

the summer gonna be great if idiots upstairs can get it right.

On the subject of Villa, I thought he had a relatively quiet campaign last season, yet the figures speak for themselves :

He has scored 141 goals in 280 league appearances and 17 goals in 32 international matches.

Not to be sniffed at. But then, neither were Sheva's before he signed......

Mark,
Sounds very nice and now everybody on tune of Volare chorus

LINK

Big Phill Oooooo,
Big Phill Ooooooooo
With Chelsea and Chelsea with you
We are winning and we love you!!!

But first he has to show us that he deserves it.

Hmm -- has anyone properly investigated his links with Mormon construction firms??

LINK

I sense a tabloid feeding frenzy when this gets out.

Germany and Ballack are going down at the moment.

But i know i said that ITV commentators are shit yesterday and they are continuing today. Who is Yogi Low? Does he think that Joachim Loew has suddenly changed him name to Yogi bear or is it just an ITV policy to pronounce every foreigner's name incorrectly?

Looks like Ballack is going to be dissappointed again.

I can't bring myself to support the Germans, no matter how much I like Ballack. But at least Podolski scored for JD. I had a little wager on Croatia to win the tournament, so I'm feeling better than I did on Sunday. They should avoid the Portuguese now.

Walter/achmed the dead terrorist (Jeff Dunham) - Absolutely YES!!!!
Scholari - yes
Frank - 50-50
Mancini - 50-50
Anchelotti - NO!

Players IN

(NO DECO Please!!!)
Quaresma
Van Der Vaart
Robinho
Kaka

Players out

(keep ricci at any cos!! and JT too)
ben haim
sidwell
SWP
pizzaro

Aye, cheers Lukas - although if your countrymen play like that again you won't be around long enough to be in with a shout of the GB. Very poor indeed - Croats were pretty decent from what I saw, though.

Now for the thrills of Austria v. Poland...!

124. Fifty · 4:23 PM · 12th June

Sheva has a big mental barrier, he played good this season but got hurt.
Not only he has awful luck,but he has mental barrier which prevents him to play.
I think Villa would definetly fit.
And I think we do not need a midfielder...we have too much of them!

Agree with NICK. I adore Ballack, as he's one of us and as i mentioned earlier in the week, Miroslav Klose is one of my all time fave footie players..he's my fave in the Germany squad,that's for def..i jus't can't bring myself to want the Germans to win. Unlike my Ma, who's in love with Ballack!!
I can't bring myself to support France OR Portugal either. My hatred for Horse Face by far outweighs my love for our (now 4) Chelsea boys.
I've gone neutral and want (my second tournament faves after England) Italy to win. Can't see that happening though after they got slaughtered the other day!!

Just glad i haven't put any money on them!!

Loving the Euro's at the mo..

@LTB #126

Investigative journalism of the highest order! However looking at the obscurity of your source material leads me to believe that you ought to try and spend more time searching out the company of your fellow man(woman) for face to face interaction - otherwise you may need to seek professional help

Now im even more gutted that we dint sign Luka Modric.

#127-

Habs, Loew's nickname is Yogi. I suppose they decided that they were on good terms with him.

Are they at least pronouncing his last name properly (Loov is sort of what it should sound like) or are they just calling Low?

lads and ladettes - i am shocked by those of you who are so ready to see lamps go and happy to have deco instead. have you all forgotten his 2 goals agst bolton to win us our first title in 50 yrs never mind his phenomenal scoring record - consistently the best midfielder in EPL for many years (top scoring until ronnies freaky season just gone), is rarely injured and performs at a top level week in week out. pleeeeese do me a favour and remember that after JT frank is the most important player at the club and don't be so ready to see him leave especially not for deco who apart from when he puts on a portugal shirt is a very poor replacement for superfrank! and as for robunho - have any of you seen him play the last 2 years? - agree with comment above that he's full of tricks when he's alone and going nowhere. JC is far superior. messi - would be a dream but he's going nowhere guys. so for me i think our top priority is a striker as pizarro and sheva have to go and if diddy goes then we need will 2 - stand up david villa and ???. v worried tho about villa hugging torres on the touchline suggests a move to pool may be on in which case kuyt perhaps i know his a red but anyone is entitled to find redemption. so for me i don't think we need anymore port players 3 defenders is enough. oh and last but not least let us all pray that ronnie takes big phil's advice and heads to real - ahmen!
ps my post above (no.87) sorry i meant to refer to abramovich and kenynon not avram of course.

I see that most reliable of gossip havens 'The Sun' says Ronaldinho is coming to The Bridge - £20m fee. Hmmm, not sure what to make of it if it's true - can he really resurrect his career after all those problems? He would certainly be good for the global brand!

Also Deco apparently flew to meet Abramovich yesterday - where will he fit in with Lamps and Ballack?

Agüero Rejects Chelsea! (from Goal.com)

I hope this is not true, I was hoping that Agüero would come. I am from India, so I have to depend on the websites for the updates. Not sure which ones to believe. Anyone got an update on this story?

link to the story : LINK

JD,

Sorry, but unless Podolski scores a hat-trick against Austria (and there's a good chance) I can't see you profiting from your bet. They cant defend at all. Lahm is quality, the rest not so.

And with no English team in the tournament, it was left to Howard Webb and his 'assistants' to have stinkers last night. Some really, really weird decisions.

Reading the BBC Gossip column is funnier than ever now. Scolari is going to have a bottomless pit of cash, and we're signing Kaka, Villa, Ronaldinho, Deco. Can't wait.

Some good, and bad, points in a piece in todays Times. "Chelsea hope that Steve Clarke will remain at the club as a second assistant, in a similar set-up to that under Mourinho...." This is good "...while they also want to retain Christophe Lollichon as goalkeeping coach..." This is not. More route one from Cech every time then.

Wake me up when it's over.........

Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been linked with Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli.

we better get him. i cant bear to see him go to them - i would be seriously upset.

Scolari is very happy with his defence and midfield options and he has already told Chelsea they must offer a new contract to his Portugal centre-back Ricardo Carvalho.

Mourinho wants Carvalho at Inter Milan but the defender and his family are happy in London and he will stay if offered improved terms.

Scolari is also keen to keep Lampard at the club and has been promised by Chelsea officials that talks will begin when the England man returns from holiday.

Scolari wants to play Lamps and Michael Ballack behind Deco, Ronaldinho and Villa, who will all feed Eto’o as the main striker.

Portugal play in a very similar way to his Brazil side and that is the model for the way he wants to transform Chelsea.

Well, I see the first reactions to the appointment of BigPh and I am not surprised but it is a bit disappointing to see such negativity again.
To me this appointment is the best news for a long time. For a few reasons

1. He is better choice than FR, RM or any other mentioned names in the last weeks

2. I like his stile of play and he will attract DIFFERENT type of players

3. He has a good relationship with the players

4. He will be fun to have on the touchline and press conferences

5. He is a CHARACTER and CHARACTER GOES LONG WAY

Yes, it is a gamble in a sense, but it is a fun one!
I wish him luck and can wait to see who is his first signing...or may be he done it already? Carvalho for one?

Inter, Balotelli extending the contract

LINK

Fifty

I suspect you may be right about ze Germans; very poor show yesterday - they should beat Austria but the KO stages will be tricky if they don't sort the backline out a bit sharpish. Should have had a saver on Villa!

Silly season is well and truly open in terms of transfer rumours then; easier to list which 'galacticos' we're not interested in than the ones we are...

@141 BMF - "interesting" line-up you float there - based on anything but ceiling-tile examination, though? - strikes me could lead to lots of 5-4 results given the lack of natural defenders in front of the back four and doesn't seem to leave room for the one player who has unequivocally stated he's happy at the Bridge and wants to stay - Michael Essien [ unless he's meant to be a central defender again] ;-)

If anyone at Chelsea was thinking of indulging themselves in the summer break, they should beware Scolari’s bite.

He warned his Portugal players before Euro 2008: “Some guys are going to have to be careful.

“Those who are two or three kilos overweight, have big arses and are more worried about nightlife and fashion shows than football might miss the boat.

“I’m sending out a message. I’m watching, examining, reading interviews. I’m on their case.” - Now I like that

Jiko - i think he will be a great signing for chels. the more i read and hear the more i like.

@ BBD - I agree - it was a quote from a few press centres and i also heard it on a couple of sports channels - the players werent named but we will be playing the same formation as brazil when they won the world cup. We should be signing a few playmakers for sure and a few strikers. There is also no mikel in there who for me is tha natural replacement for Makalele.

Well, I am gobsmacked! Being stuck in a part of France where, although the papers say on the title page Printed today in France, they arrive a day late, I have just discovered we have a new manager. I only strolled into town to use the internet cafe cos I wanted to see if Brown got shafted in the Detention vote and whether the Irish had shafted the EU. Instead I find I am slightly behind the times in welcoming a new coach.
I reserve judgement on the choice ...... like we should all do.... until we have played a few games.
As an aside, why can't the bloody French use the same keyboard layout as us????? I have typed Q instead of A so many times, it is starting to seriously piss me off now lol

interesting article in Times on what lies ahead...

Female sports pyschologist the power behind Felipe Scolari's throne


When Luiz Felipe Scolari first called Deco into his Portugal squad, he quickly identified a problem. The player, born on the outskirts of São Paulo though naturalised as a Portuguese citizen, still thought of himself as Brazilian.

Despite scoring against the country of his birth on his international debut, he did not appear moved by passion or pride in his adopted nation. Scolari was determined to resolve this. The woman he turned to for direction, Regina Maria Ferreira Brandão, is not known beyond academic circles, but that is surely about to change now that Scolari is coming to Chelsea...

LINK

I have to say that i agree with my mate MUNKEY. I admit i fell into a blind panic when i heard of Uncle Phil's appointment, mainly being due to him not ever having coached a team in Europe and being out of club football for 6/7 years but the more i hear about him, the more i'm growing to like him.

I didn't realise how much respect he has from the "big guns" in the football world!! Ok, i'm not gullible enough to believe everything i read in the British press, a hell of a lot of it is just tabloid spin and stirring up rivalry between clubs but the thought of (IF it's true) the likes of Kaka, Messi, Villa, the other Ronaldo, Eto'o etc wanting to play for him has got me really excited. I can't wait to see who he signs!

I know a lot of people on here don't rate Ronaldinho but i think he's the best! Apparently, he's made a "plea to come to Chelsea" it said on SSN this morning as he's desperate to work with Scolari and hasn't as yet signed on the dotted line for Man City..

I definitely think that Riccy will stay now and i'm delighted to hear today that Phil has told CFC to "make sure Lampard signs a new contract, however much it takes to keep him" (also on SSN this morning). He's won a big vote from me just for that alone!!

Glad to see in one of today's papers (not sure which one) that McFergie has told Scolari to "shut up" after he alledgedly told Horse Face that he should go to Madrid to further his career. Ronaldo sees him as a Father figure apparently and confides in him and regularly asks him for advice on personal/private matters.

Anyone that upsets Ye Olde Purple Nose is OK with me!!!!

Bring it on!!! :))))

@BMF #141

I think I read somewhere that RC is on £55K-£60K a week and wants an improved offer.

While these are always silly numbers to the man in the street, it does seem strange that the man who many of us consider to be the best defender in the EPL if not the world (as does Fernando Torres) is on half the money earned by the top players at Chelsea.

As a club we have to keep the wage bill under control not just to balance a budget but to keep reasonable parity among the top players. We seem to have gone overboard at the top end with a few players and this will always lead to problems with other valuable players who have less pushy agents, are less inclined to constantly want to impress themselves as top dog etc.

With players like RC, I'm sure its less about the cash and more about recognition of status. He's earned it I believe.

I'm not advocating a salary cap, I just think paying some players £110K a week and others who most would agree are valuable and integral to the team half that seems a recipe for constant unrest.

Yes you will never keep everyone happy, but surely its good man management as well as financial management to keep the rewards structure a little tighter in terms of the spread?

@Blue Bayou

Seconded - whilst Riccy is a far more 'stable' chap than Gallas and less likely to throw a hissy fit, losing one world class centre over a few grand a week would be careless, two would be particularly stupid (especially if we can save by shipping out some of the dead wood this summer).

@150 Lollipop - yes it's one of the unexpected bonuses that Big Phil is already developing a [ahem] "PTR" for irritating PurpleNose. The other one that strikes me is the rumours Portugal may convince Queiroz to replace him as their new Head Coach.

In his post-CL bonhomie interviews Fergie admitted how much he relies on him for many of the modern aspects of team management and I recall he struggled last time Queiroz left him.

I'd hold on to that scepticism about all the rumoured mega-star purchases - but agree the "keep Lampard at whatever cost" was good to hear.

Fascinating piece about the psychologist linked to above. James Hamilton, a sports psychologist and occasional blogger (LINK) will have something to say on this, if he ever breaks his current silence.

Regarding salaries, this was one of the terrible, stupid, thoughtless consequences of the Shevchenko signing - perhaps the biggest one. Said it before, but everything that's gone wrong can be traced to that one transfer.

We know somethings will have to 'give' once he takes charge, but I'd assumed those players he has 'previous' with may benefit a little more than those he doesnt know.

Which leads me to wonder how the hell he's going to manage our full backs.

He may a prize chump, and a complete loser, but there's no denying Ashley is our best left back, followed by Bridgey.

At right-back we have :

Bosingwa - newly signed. Apparently this was sanctioned by Scolari himself.
Belletti - who was given his Brazil debut by...Scolari
Ferreira - who plays out of position at left back but is trusted enough to do so by...Scolari

Good luck keeping them all happy. Still, would be nice to see him actually earn his £6.5m a year instead of hiding from big decisions.

I can see you hiding in the corner Avram.......

BLUEBOYDAVE

I've also heard on TV that Portugal are after Queiroz. Don't know why. He's alright i suppose as an assistant Manager but i recall him failing miserably when he was in charge at Real Madrid, even with the likes of Zidane and Figo playing for him. He was sacked wasn't he because they didn't win a trophy with him at the helm? McFergie may rely on him for, as you say, modern aspects of team management but ultimately, the only person Man Ure would crumble without IMO is McFergie himself. They'd manage without Queiroz just fine i believe..

The silly season is what i love about summer transfer windows, especially when you support Chelsea:

LINK

This is by Ian McGarry. He is the so called chelsea 'expert' with contacts on the inside of the club. I like watching him on Chelsea TV simply because of the hilarious rumours that he chucks around. He does get some stories right, like saying Jose would be Inter manager, a few days after he was sacked by Roman. BUT he gets many of them wrong. For example, he said we were definitely going to sign Dos Santos, and yet he's now at Spurs.

So to read his stroy of the next Chelsea side...

Cech
Bosingwa Ricky JT Cole
Lamps Ballack
Villa Deco Ronaldinho
Eto'o

... is hilarious. Firstly, the Sun seems to think that if you have a connection with Scolari, you are going to be a blue. So Ronaldinho, come on down. Despite you being fat, slow, over the hill and past it, we'd be willing to pay £20m and £120k/wk. Secondly this team must be the most immobile in the history of Chelsea. An ageing midfield of Ballack, Deco, Ronaldinho and SuperFrank (who'll retire a blue, hopefully), for all its technique and skill, simply can't run. Where's Essien, the midfield powerhouse with a 3 year contract in his pocket? However despite the paper's distinct lack of evidence and tactic to use Football Manager to see who are the most famous players in the world, and then stick 'Scolari's wish list includes...' in front of it, these few weeks are great.

With A-levels ending next week, it'll be nice to sit back with glee at who we are linked with. A new name will appear every day. So far we have been linked with Deco, Van der Vaart, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Robinho, Aguero, Quaresma, Moutinho, Villa, Eto'o and of course Torres. I would happily take all of them, even Ronaldinho to sell some shirts, but in reality how many will we get? 2,3 maybe 4. If he really does have a blank cheque, then i can't wait for pre-season in China. Just imagine:

Cech
Bosingwa Ricky JT Cole
Essien Lamps Van der Vaart
Robinho Villa Kaka

That's a dream, will never happen, and yet is what makes pre-season with a new manager and new players, the best part of the season. No stress (apart from hoping we get rid of the infamous 11 pieces of deadwood we can all name), no biting of finger nails, no waiting for Chelsea to draw Inter in the CL, no pain of losing yet more points in the last minute... So having Gene Hackman in charge seems to have been a masterstroke from Roman. He may not speak English, he may be nearly 60, but Chelsea have earned widespread praise and respect for this appointment. If Roman and Kenyon can do the same with players, then we'll be laughing.

KTBFFH

(One problem still irritating me - Christophe Lollichon. I know the Brazilians aren't known for their GKs but we must be able to improve on Lollichon. Turning Cech from the greatest GK in the world to a long ball merchant who can't deal with crosses, doesn't bode well for our assault on the Quad)

United were going to fall apart when Kidd left, when McLaren left, when Quieroz left the first time- they always seems to be okay though.

PETER

Agree totally. It's the same with their players..
To listen to them, they can't manage without, Cantona, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, now Ronaldo, and they ALWAYS survive.
McFergie has done his best to keep all of them at the club except bind, gag and lock them up away from rival teams! He needs to get a life!! Complaining to FIFA about Real's interest in his "star performer" is childish for a man of his age! Time will tell how he fares with the "God of football" but Becks and V Nistelrooy are no longer on his Christmas Card list! V Nistelrooy has spoken out last week saying how McFergie made his life hell at Old Trafford and everyone in the universe knows about the football boot scandal involving Beckham..

Hope Ronaldo listens to Uncle Phil's very good advice!!

I agree with Lolli - to say Ronnie is past it is just a ludicrous statement! He is 28 - at least 4 or 5 years left. He has ONE bad season which primarily came from internal bickering and the fact rikaard is about as hard nosed as Avram and its no surprise a south american dropped his form!

With the right motivation and a collective spirit, ronnie WILL recapture his form, those that say otherwise are very shortsighted.

For us to get him, would be a massive coup and one which would IMO deliver us the champs league and prem. He cuts teams in two - no other player does this with the ease he displays.

Rant over - but those comments wound me up.

up the blues!!!!!!!!!!!!!
go scolari!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I welcome you to Chelsea!!!!!!!!

Ronaldinho is a disaster waiting to happen.

MUNKEY

Here, here matey! x x :))

Peter - only if his heart wasnt in it - BIG Phil doesnt seem to suffer fools gladly and if he comes then he knows what is needed. Maybe he now realises he needs a tough man to manage him.

The vibe Ronaldinho gives - and has always given - sends a shiver up my spine. The environment at Chelsea is completely inappropriate for him.

I see where you are coming from, but with the brazilian influence we will change - He has banned Red Rom from the dressing room for a start, clearly wants to make Chelsea his own.

He wants to set up a "real madrid" style formation - remember when they had maka, zidane, figo. The defence just defended and let the rest of team dominate.

Imagine Ronnie, Villa, Kaka as the front 3!! Add to that essien, Lamps and Ze German and you have one hell of a team. Van der vaart / Mikel / Deco as your options and we have the depth to really challenge. Not to mention J Cole/Kalou etc.

The whole spin around Ronaldinho is just another example to me of 'what might have been'.

Ballack finished the season on fire, but imagine how much better you'd feel were he 27 / 28 and not 31. Ditto Sheva (although he didn't finish the season on fire). To a degree Belletti as well. Players signed at the end of their career. If rumours are to be believed we're prepared to pay WELL over the odds (£15million ?? Jog on...) for Deco who will be 31 when the season begins. Wrong end again.

Ronaldinho played some frankly scintillating football in his time at Barca. If he goes elsewhere, he'll rekindle somewhere near that form. If he comes here he'll be dog-shit.

We've made too many fire-fighting signings trying to fill gaps with players who would have filled them better years ago. In hindsight it's easy to say we should have been more pro-active and less reactive; get a few youngsters with amazing potential in (if someone wants to tell Arnesen what his job is) and prime them for the step to the first team in 18months - 2 years. None of this buying the best 13 year old kids in the World - no good in the short term.

It would be nice for those involved in player recruitment to decide that the signings we make are for the long term and agree not to buy players over a certain age. We need to be looking at the Villas at 26, Van Der Vaarts at 25 of this World rather than those with very little left to offer.

@ Lollipop/Peter - I wasn't suggesting Queiroz is some kind of genius nor that ManUre would crumble without him - just that Fergie seems to consider him an important part of the club and anything that disrupts their prep for next season and requires them to adjust to a new face in their management feels like good news for us.

Ronaldinho? - I worry it's another step into Fantasy Football Land - but the thought of seeing the Ronaldinho of the 2005 CL tie performing similarly in a blue shirt is mouthwatering if he can still produce that kind of form consistently.

@Fifty - you'd be right if Big Phil can persuade Roman to learn some patience.

Queiroz does play a fairly large part in United's day-to-day running now that Fergie is knocking on; certainly could be replaced as a no. 2 but it wouldn't be easy; Ronaldo going would be tough for them but it would provide a huge cash injection to fund a summer shopping spree (if the Glazers don't plough it into the ever-increasing debt).

Interesting - comes from Marca which is rather pro Real Madrid so it may just be mischief making...

LINK

PETER

Totally agree with you when you say that ANYTHING that disrupts current events at Old Trafford will work in our favour next season...so let the good times roll!! I believe Queiroz has generated interest from Benfica as well as Portugal for his services. I just don't get it where he's concerned. Manager material he ain't! McFergie is pushing him to be the next Manager at Man Ure when he (eventually!) retires, so again, that's great news for us because he's proved to be Shite!

As much as i HATE Horse Face, it was only through his goals/penalties that they managed to win the double this season, God knows where they'd of ended up in the league if it wasn't for his diving abilities..and if he DOES decide to gallop off into the Spanish sunset, then again..GREAT! I won't be sad to see the back of the over-rated, smug git!

Regarding Ronaldinho, sorry but i would love to see him play for us. He's a God in my eyes, i don't have anything bad to say about him....
Apart from i think he looks like Plug out of the Bash Street Kids!! :)

Sorry, PETER, the above post was meant for BLUEBOYDAVE!!
I apologise!

Could be that the club's strategy is to win everything 'winnable' (and as many times as possible) in like 5-7 years (counting from 2004)...This would set it in the pedestal of europe's greatest teams...

The next phase would then be building on that strong foundation by putting in place a good recruitment system with emphasis on youth development...

So far, the appointment of Scolari seems to have enhanced the club's PR profile...The kind of players being associated with the club now points in that direction...If we build on that and win more trophies in the next 2-3 years, we may not have to chase players as rigorously as we'r doing presently...

Though i preferred Bilic/Advocaat/Hiddink, the club's choice of Scolari (a stubborn character) indicates that there might be improvement and more independence / professionalism, in team management...I'm waiting to see the player transfers to confirm the club's direction...

Always Blue!

Having had a lovely day out in Telford yesterday on a Management Beano, designed to rejuvenate my Large Mobile Phone Company mo-jo, and succeeding via getting 1400 of us to perform the Haka at the end I find myself having had a little time to think about this and as with some of you other good folk, I find myself being won over. Having read a bit about the guy and spoken to a Portuguese friend yesterday I think he's a very interesting appointment.

He doesn't seem to act or look like a 60 year old.
He has a healthy contempt for the press
He is not a Yes man
He isn't scared of making big decisions
He isn't phased by celebrity players
He has big game experience
He has 'charisma'
He seems to like English players holding them in high regard
He likes to stir the pot with other coaches - like someone else we knew

He may not have the PTR at European club level, but as you all know for me that is pretty much bollocks anyway. There are one or two downsides but comparing him to Avram is like comparing Stevensons Rocket to Concorde such is the gulf between them.

I do worry about the alleged Portuguese/Brazilian influence but as he hasn't spoken to anyone since the announcement, aligned with the clubs zipped mouth until he starts then I think most is speculation and hence utter press-bollocks speak - no-one knows who he wants except I suspect, Phil himself.

Does anyone else think the clubs policy on choosing (i.e silence) but knowing our next coach in the thick of the Euro's is a bit of a master stroke in terms of being close to some of the best players in Europe? Could this be the first recorded case of ....ahem....competence on the part of a Chelsea hierarchy?

tony

I'll be very very very surprised if the chelsea hierarchy knew what competent even meant

Well we can't say it's been boring since Scolari was appointed.Even though he wasn't my ideal choice,like a few people I've started to warm to him.
Anyone who can punch a reporter and kick footballs onto the pitch to waste time,can't be all bad.
There aren't many managers who can be linked with so many ex-players,club and country.How many we sign,if any,remains to be seen.But there's one thing that Scolari has over all the other managers linked with us.He has not managed in Europe,so nobody knows how he will cope.The uncertainty lies not only with Chelsea players and fans but also with managers like McFergie,Wenger and Tubby Benitez.They,like us,have no idea what he's going to do on the first game of the season.I know this could be a bad thing but it could also work in our favour.
If we have Manure,Arsenal or Liverscum in the first couple of live games on Sky,would they know what sort of formation or even players they would be facing?
I think whatever lies ahead,we're going to be in for a rollercoaster ride,so buckle in and hold on to your hats.

Looking forward to Holland vs France. With Scolari on board, Maka (age), Malouda (shit) and Anelka (even shitter), should all be fearing for their futures based on their last performance.

With a blank cheque, who would choose to keep these 3 over any potential signings? They have to improve drastically.

As for the Dutch. Looking forward to Van der Vaart again, although if i could choose one guy from the side, it would have to be Sneijder. He runs the show, and why we let Real steal him last season is a mystery. With a blank cheque, Scolari should bring in this Dutch wizard. Maybe an even more impossible target than Kaka though!

Still living in hope of the return of Robben. Just an appearance from Robben would be good due to his fitness, but when available there are few better wingers in the world. The best winger we've had in the Roman era by a country mile.

Come on the Dutch! Don't consider Malouda and Anelka real Chelsea boys due to their sheer lack of effort. Malouda starts but Anelka's been dropped. Maybe Scolari will see the light and sell them both.

Yay, come on you Orange.

Great marking from Malouda! He really is useless at everything.

Don't like him. Don't like his homophobia, don't like that he knocked England out thrice (I'm one to hold a grudge), don't like his temper, just don't like him. I don't know WTF Roman is thinking, electing him, as Jose was sacked for his arrogance & short fuse... does he think Big Phil doesn't have any of those qualities and is just gonna sit there and nod meekly all day long?

Furthermore, I don't like that he's getting a blank cheque to supposedly buy Kaka and Ten Year old Girl Torres and Ronaldonkiho. I'd focus on getting Lampard, Essien and Carvalho to stay first.

boularouze is playin well

Why did we ever let Robben go? Contrast his impact in 10 mins to that of Malouda in 2 games? Malouda should watch Robben to learn what a winger really is.

I fecking know. But Arjen had beef with Mourinho.

Rather ironic that.

Maybe that blank cheque shoud avoid Deco and Ronaldinho. Spend it on rectifying last year's mistake - BRING BACK ROBBEN!

Fucking hell, Robben's playing like David Villa. GET THEM BOTH SCOLARI.

I just wanted to comment on Boulahrouz, I thought he sucked, why is he playing so well today?

Told you that Sneijder is a little genius!

Real Madrid's side looks fucking awesome.

Now please remind me what Anelka and Malouda did? Seems like they were just as ineffective as the last game. Sell them now!

As for the dutch. That was total football. BRING BACK ROBBEN AND BRING IN SNEIJDER. Neither transfers will happen and it is only our fault that we haven't got either of them.

@ Habs - calm down son, we can't buy everyone who scores a goal. So far half of the dutch team would be with us - Robben, VdV, Sniejder.....

Having said that, when was the LAST time you saw an England side play anywhere near as good as Holland tonight, or Spain the other night...or croatia last night? Its easy to see why we're not there and Fabio has his work cut out getting us playing to any level like we've seen at these championships. Christ, had we qualified...who would we have been kidding?

Martin O'Neil: 'Players who can take on their man and beat them, are worth their weight in gold.'

Well we exchanged one of the best for one of the worst. The price for losing Robben appears to be a £10m profit with only £13m spent on Malouda from Robben's £24m sale. But what is £10m profit when we will have to write off about half of Malouda's transfer fee when we dump him this year.

As for Anelka, again he looked lazy and uninterested. What is the point of him? If he's not good enough to start, is rubbish as a 'supersub' and doesn't score goals, ever, then what is his use?

Best players for the Dutch were Sneijder and Robben. Seeing Robben flying down the wings reminded me of his first season in a blue shirt where he tore apart NEwcastle away in the League Cup, CSKA Moscow away, Fulham away in the 4-1 win, Newcastle at home with the 4-0 win... I was jealous and angry that it would be Real Madrid who would be enjoying his dribbling skills. And today Sneijder outshone Van der Vaart. He seems to be the perfect no. 10 and reminds me of the great one - Zola. If we could get him, then he would perfectly inherit the legacy of Zola.

KTBFFH

Didn't mean to go overboard but seeing the contrast between Sneijder and Robben with Malouda and Anelka, the difference was embarrasssing. And it would be pretty amazing if we did buy half the dutch side. Total football like tonight woould please every fan!

Let's not get carried away. Robben will be injured by Monday.

All this hype around transfers and the BIG Phil effect is starting to get me quite excited!

I miss you! Robben!

I hate some of those stupid so-called "Chelsea fans" who had made him feel unwanted at Chelsea.

If we let Drogba go, we'll miss him too!

Robben is an excellent player but he was never for Premier League ...he was injured too many times..When he left, I felt awfull but still...he could never succeed in Premiership ... I miss that guy too, but we have to ...realise the truth.
I won't miss Drogba too much I have to confess...He started to go on my nerves recently.

I'd still take Robben over Malouda every time.

@ 192.

Sarah, you're typically the ones who would make our top players feel unwanted! Footballers are not bloody ballroom dancers to please your eyes! As long as they score goals, I don't give a shit about what else they do!

#193

Habs, I miss Robben as much as you do. Honestly, who wouldn't you take Robben over? Plus, he has a wicked cross, and supberb deadball crosses and corners.

I don't believe that he had huge beef with Mourinho- Jose was praising him the last game before he left for coming back while injured to try to help the team.

Can't wait to get home and watch the NED-FRA match.

Is it wrong of me still to love Robben?

He's the worst diver I've ever seen, and he's not exactly ... robust, but he's just so wonderful to watch. I remember his first home game -- came on as a sub on the left and just started flying past people. Never stopped until he (ahem) got injured.

One day we'll draw Real in the CL, and I for one will stand and cheer when they announce his name. He may not be the best footballer ever, but he makes your heart sing when he's on his game.

Robben - terrific player, sadly made of balsa wood; said it numerous times on here before but he could end up being one of the best of his generation but just as easily end up retiring before he's 30 because his body can't take it. I suspect he went to Spain as the referees there are arguably more inclined to protect players like him; he was never quite the same for us after that dirty f*cker Mokoena butchered him up at Blackburn a few seasons ago.

Sad that he went; if he stays fit for a season you have one of the world's best, but how many times in the last 5 years has he done that? Very difficult for a manager to plan around that kind of player. That said, he looked in great shape tonight and as fit as he's been for some time now.

Largely untrue to say that Mourinho had a problem with him; I'm sure they had their moments, but watch Jose's reaction to Robben coming off in the FA cup final after Wes Brown tried to chop him in half - no animosity there, far from it.

Take your pick from this list of potential transfer targets. It may not have the big names of Kaka and torres, but it seems to have more realistic names who could actually end up at the Bridge:

LINK

Even if he played 15 games for us, he would get 7 or 8 goals and set up a few.
It did seem we were a bit hasty in getting rid at the time.
We're definitely missing him. There can't be many players in the world can run at such pace with control of the ball and then more often than not have an end product...

I guess we can hope this season coming up is the one where Salomon Kalou makes the step up. He's the closest we've got to a Robben at the moment.

Unfortunately with Robben we suffered in the same way that Utd are suffering now with Ronaldo.

There are certain teams (Madrid, Barca) that have the ability to turn a player's head, and other than a large pile of dosh, we do not have the same footballing clout (yet!).

Wingers are the area we most need to improve though and I reckon they will be our first priority. I also have a funny feeling that Drogba may well stay, now that we have a real manager. He has been strangely quiet over the last week or two.

David Silva over Robben. =)

Boulahrouz played like a banshee on crack when he was in a blue shirt, making rash tackles everywhere and thinking "marking" was something that teacher's do to student's homework. That was epitomized in his shit performance against Arsenal, a match we had to win. He conceded a penalty and got sent off, and even though we heroically fought back to get it to 1-1, it wasn't enough. I hold him responsible for that humiliating March of Honour we had to do for ManU.

And now he's playing well in Euro 2008. Sod's law, innit.

hey guys, why don't we get rid of tbh belletti and bring in all of our loaned defenders (raykjavic, boularouz) and mix with ivanovic and then we can save money for big players (robben, villa)

194. SimonT · 10:30 PM · 13th June
Simont, Robben is one of my favourite players :) .
But Drogba doesn't want to play in Chelsea anymore and we have to cope with it...
Anyway I think that Robben went because he was sick of his injuries and liked Real Madrid more...
P.S. Now...this will sound pathetic...I saw Malouda against Netherlands.He was bloody brilliant...I don't know what the f.u.c.k. is wrong with our players when they dress the blue shirt.The same thing with Bulahrouz.When he plays for his national team, he is ok but when he plays for Chelsea...disgusting.

Did you hear the fans singing his name after every tackle or block?
Must be an environment that's giving him confidence...

Center backs we have so far:

Terry
Carvalho
Alex
Ivanovic
Ben Haim
Boulahrouz
Rajkovic
Alcides

We have 8 of them which is amazing. But we can only choose 4 or 5 maximum. Take your pick...

I'll choose: Terry, Carvalho and Ivanovic (he hasn't played yet, but I expect to see him next season.)

btw... I'm happy for Scolari. I didn't like Grant, simply because he wasn't Jose Mourinho, and I think he got what he deserved (though he was great for his first season, but I didn't like his only becasue of Jose). But i Like Scolari, reminds me of Jose. Strong personality, great tactic, a man who loves discipline.
I think he a very good choice.