Chelsea Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14

Tubbs4

Just need a draw in utd game if city don't win and not too bad of a weekend.

GavRedKing

It still doesnt excuse how bad we were but it shows how unpredictable the league is this year.

Panthro

the City back 4 is brutal TBF.

GavRedKing

Panthro wrote: »

the City back 4 is brutal TBF.

Without Kompany they're no great shakes, Nastasic is a fine talent and prospect but take a player of Kompanys quality out of the team, any team, and they would suffer alright.

Panthro

Obviously, I want Sunderland 2-1 City
(Nasri and Aguero involved in the goal/assist...!)

GavRedKing

Panthro wrote: »

Obviously, I want Sunderland 2-1 City
(Nasri and Aguero involved in the goal/assist...!)

Or Yaya, for no benefit of my own. :pac:

Panthro

GavRedKing wrote: »

Or Yaya, for no benefit of my own. :pac:

I took an 8pt hit last weekend (had two free transfers)
Yaya-->Nasri
Sturridge--Suarez
Ozil-->Ramsey
Giroud--Aguero
It's paid off so far as I captained Suarez.
Need the rest of them to do something though!

GavRedKing

Panthro wrote: »

I took an 8pt hit last weekend (had two free transfers)
Yaya-->Nasri
Sturridge--Suarez
Ozil-->Ramsey
Giroud--Aguero
It's paid off so far as I captained Suarez.
Need the rest of them to do something though!

I'd take City losing over any FF at the moment though.

GavRedKing

If City lose, after Spurs losing our weekend wont have been all that bad IMO.

GavRedKing

Mertesacker and Rosicky out for Arsenal, Utd with a slight advantage now.

GavRedKing

Spurs and City both lost today, draw in the Utd game would be the job now.

Panthro

GavRedKing wrote: »

Spurs and City both lost today, draw in the Utd game would be the job now.

A whole one point more ahead of Spurs and City now, yeeehaww!:D

GavRedKing

After yesterdays result I wouldnt have predicted that.

Its a very unpredictable season so far.

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Wrongway1985

Yep panned out nicely for us in the end our undeserved point isnt as costly after all. United win or draw here would be nice.

GavRedKing

Utd winning, 1 point behind us if they win.

GavRedKing

And 4 points behind Arsenal :pac:

Tubbs4

Really lucky so far this weekend. If only Jose can drop Lampard and bring Mata back into the team.
Need to start building up the goal difference also as it could come down to goals and city still way ahead of us.
Nice to have a few reds cards in the man United game too

GavRedKing

Going well so far for this weekend.

Would have been so much better had we beaten WBA ffs.

GavRedKing

After drawing with WBA I didnt expect the weekend to work out with Spurs, City and Arsenal all losing. :pac:

MaroonAndGreen

We are alright atm lads, if we had beaten West Brom then our start to the season would have been excellent

GavRedKing

One thing is for sure we've to improve our away form if we want to win this league.

We've to beat the "lesser" teams regularly home and away and also beat the big boys at home to stand a really good chance.

Only 6 points separating 1-8 in the league at the moment.

Panthro

i still think there's going to be a clearout come summertime.

GavRedKing

Panthro wrote: »

i still think there's going to be a clearout come summertime.

Hopefully.

Cole, Lamps, JT all running the risk of being axed with only 1 year left, JT might get a new contract if he drops his wages.

Essien will be gone, Marin, Moses, Ba, I reckon Eto'o if he can continue scoring might get another year and go forward with Lukaku Torres Eto'o.

De bruyne will probably be gone on loan in January and may not return.

Tubbs4

Add Bertrand as he is too injury prone and Liverpool sniffing around.
Cech could also go if he don't want a fight for first place.
Hate to say Mata if Jose does not play him and Luiz also.

MaroonAndGreen

League fixtures before the Arsenal game on December 23rd..

West Ham (A) - Win expected
Southampton (H) - Win
Sunderland (A) - Win
Stoke (A) - Win
Palace (H) - Win

You would think that we can win 5 in a row before playing Arsenal, id be happy enough with 34 points going into that game though, as I think Sunderland and Stoke away are going to be tricky, as is Saints at home..

McDave

GavRedKing wrote: »

One thing is for sure we've to improve our away form if we want to win this league.

We've to beat the "lesser" teams regularly home and away and also beat the big boys at home to stand a really good chance.

Only 6 points separating 1-8 in the league at the moment.

TBH that's part of the problem. Even with so much relative mediocrity, we're back in the pack.

As for Arsenal, even after today's defeat their tails will be up. If they can get back in the groove, they'll pull ahead again. For our part we need a 5-in-a-row to state our credentials.

Duck Soup

I think we're stuttering and spluttering at the moment. We're also lucky that the teams around us are bedevilled by similar inconsistency.

I believe that in the interests of a quick re-establishment of the original Chelsea-Mourinho style, he went directly back to the Cech-Terry-Cole-Lampard spine. I don't think that's going to work and I think there's a tension within Mourinho's thinking itself. He needs to build for the future. His instinct is for immediate results. The two things don't necessarily fit together.

Lamps is no longer a 90 mins player. Rafa got that much right - at this stage he's an impact sub. Terry's come good again. Let's see if that form and his wonky knee hold up for the rest of the season. Cole is pure class, but sometime soon he'll just be too slow to cope with rampaging forwards.

Cech is a legend, but we need to have Courtois starting next season and drop Petr to the bench. We can't afford to lose Courtois.

José is persisting with what's worked before and I don't think that the players he's using to do it have the legs to do harry-and-chase-down for a whole season.

Panthro

For the past few games we've seen Dave sit at LB and Ivanovic roam forward, essentially go 3 at the back.
Anyone consider having Cole/Bertrand LB, Dave RB. Let Dave roam forward and Cole sit back. Cole's effectiveness roaming forward has waned going what what I've seen of him this season.

GavRedKing

Panthro wrote: »

For the past few games we've seen Dave sit at LB and Ivanovic roam forward, essentially go 3 at the back.
Anyone consider having Cole/Bertrand LB, Dave RB. Let Dave roam forward and Cole sit back. Cole's effectiveness roaming forward has waned going what what I've seen of him this season.

Ivan is worth his considerable weight in gold in defending/attacking set pieces but in open play hes not great, hes an ok fullback, hes strong as an ox but he offers us nothing going forward at all.

As I said the other day you can allow him the freedom of the right hand side and 9/10 he wont pick a telling pass or get a good cross in, hell even his one two passing to link play is avergae at best.

Jose has a huge task he has to win the league and if he doesnt finish at least 2nd all the while figuring out who has to go and who has to come in.

peteeeed

GavRedKing wrote: »

Ivan is worth his considerable weight in gold in defending/attacking set pieces but in open play hes not great, hes an ok fullback, hes strong as an ox but he offers us nothing going forward at all.

As I said the other day you can allow him the freedom of the right hand side and 9/10 he wont pick a telling pass or get a good cross in, hell even his one two passing to link play is avergae at best.

Jose has a huge task he has to win the league and if he doesnt finish at least 2nd all the while figuring out who has to go and who has to come in.

ivanovic found himself in loads of space on saturday but didn't really do anything with it, not his fault really as he's not an attacking player and i know why jose has him in there as he rugby tackles in both boxes for set pieces and gets away with it

GavRedKing

Luiz has played RB for Benfica before, there would be no fear of him offering an attacking threat down that right side.

GavRedKing

I actually dont think we'll get rid of Luiz, JT only has a few months left on his contract and Cahill is at his ceiling, in terms of ability and he still sint good enough.

Ideally Luiz would make less mistakes but for that 2nd goal on Saturday Cahill was stupid to try square up a guy who was cutting inside all afternoon and then fall over, exposing JT to allow Sessengon to get a shot off.

The international break cant come quick enough and the guys that arent on international duty have a lot to work on,it also gives Jose some time to ponder what he wants to do reagrding his starting XI.

Cole at LB, he'll be back in soon which hoepfully sees Azp at RB.
Lamps dropped for Mikel or Luiz.
Mata to start in place of Willian or Schurrle and to be given a run of games to prove himself.

In the long term Courtois is our number 1, that mistake by Cech was unforgiveable when the shot was so tamely hit and practically right at him, had he gotten his body behind it at least at worst it would have been spilled with no CF in sight going with his hands out strecthed from his body showed poor positining all the while Courtois is having another great season at A.Madrid.

We've a very tough game at West Ham after the international break a game in which we went 1-0 last eyar and should have went in 2-0 or 3-0 at half time only to lose the game in the 2nd half.

GavRedKing

This literally makes no sense.

Daily Star

Arsenal could make a shock £15million bid for Chelsea striker Demba Ba in January, after missing out on the former Newcastle man on deadline day in the summer.

That would leave us with 2 CF's again, why would we sell them Ba and for double what we apid for him? It makes no sesne hes worth at most, what we paid Newcastle for him, if we got back what we paid I'd be happy.

hots

GavRedKing wrote: »

This literally makes no sense.

Daily Star


That would leave us with 2 CF's again, why would we sell them Ba and for double what we apid for him? It makes no sesne hes worth at most, what we paid Newcastle for him, if we got back what we paid I'd be happy.

Doubling our money and he's worse than Giroud? Please let the rumour gods make this one true!

GavRedKing

hobbit of the shire wrote: »

Doubling our money and he's worse than Giroud? Please let the rumour gods make this one true!

Thats what I mean, it makes no sense for Arsenal, it would be a brilliant deal for us though.

Once Podolski and Walcott are back they'll be back up to strength with options other then Giroud and Bendtner to play CF if needed.

grumpymunster

Have to say penalty decision was a little soft but not the disgrace others are making out. I think what clinched it is Ram is not a diver quite the opposite in fact he is one of those players that always try to stay on their feet. There was contact but was it a foul maybe not but if there is contact you can fall it does not always need to be a foul. Referee's do their homework on players and he would have been aware that Ram does not go to ground very easily, for me it was more Rams reputation that got him that penalty rather than the tabloid headlines others have posted here. If you want the worst refereeing decision of the weekend it was at Sunderland the most obvious straight red against Larsson but not even a booking, it was without doubt a filthy foul and a disgraceful decision.

I think Ivan has had enough time now and I think TSNSHONP (the special not so happy one now perhaps) has alluded to the defensive line up by saying Cole has to win his place back and Dave is playing very well. It could be that Ivan will play at CB against the Happy Hammers as the ball might be in the air a fair bit but if our full backs are to play as wing backs then Ivan cant do that and never could.

peteeeed

grumpymunster wrote: »

Have to say penalty decision was a little soft but not the disgrace others are making out. I think what clinched it is Ram is not a diver quite the opposite in fact he is one of those players that always try to stay on their feet. There was contact but was it a foul maybe not but if there is contact you can fall it does not always need to be a foul. Referee's do their homework on players and he would have been aware that Ram does not go to ground very easily, for me it was more Rams reputation that got him that penalty rather than the tabloid headlines others have posted here. If you want the worst refereeing decision of the weekend it was at Sunderland the most obvious straight red against Larsson but not even a booking, it was without doubt a filthy foul and a disgraceful decision.

I think Ivan has had enough time now and I think TSNSHONP (the special not so happy one now perhaps) has alluded to the defensive line up by saying Cole has to win his place back and Dave is playing very well. It could be that Ivan will play at CB against the Happy Hammers as the ball might be in the air a fair bit but if our full backs are to play as wing backs then Ivan cant do that and never could.

i think the peno stoke got yesterday has lessoned the blow of our one, i would say if that had been given against us we'd all be going mad

peteeeed

GavRedKing wrote: »

This literally makes no sense.

Daily Star


That would leave us with 2 CF's again, why would we sell them Ba and for double what we apid for him? It makes no sesne hes worth at most, what we paid Newcastle for him, if we got back what we paid I'd be happy.

i would reckon we are going to buy in January so some moving on will make sense . jose will have been looking at the market and our squad for the last few months and is ready to get who he wants in jaunary and then next summer

grumpymunster

Interesting take on the Ram penalty

http://www.sportsdirectnews.com/jeff-winter/35564-ramires-spot-on-but-swans-hard-done-by.php#.UoDXznDxr74

Always saw Winter as being a little anti Chelsea

GavRedKing

grumpymunster wrote: »

Have to say penalty decision was a little soft but not the disgrace others are making out. I think what clinched it is Ram is not a diver quite the opposite in fact he is one of those players that always try to stay on their feet. There was contact but was it a foul maybe not but if there is contact you can fall it does not always need to be a foul. Referee's do their homework on players and he would have been aware that Ram does not go to ground very easily, for me it was more Rams reputation that got him that penalty rather than the tabloid headlines others have posted here. If you want the worst refereeing decision of the weekend it was at Sunderland the most obvious straight red against Larsson but not even a booking, it was without doubt a filthy foul and a disgraceful decision.

I think Ivan has had enough time now and I think TSNSHONP (the special not so happy one now perhaps) has alluded to the defensive line up by saying Cole has to win his place back and Dave is playing very well. It could be that Ivan will play at CB against the Happy Hammers as the ball might be in the air a fair bit but if our full backs are to play as wing backs then Ivan cant do that and never could.

The peno was soft although you'd probably get a free kick for it outside the box, theres contact and it far from the worst penalty decision the reason its gfrated some people is it was a big team against a "little" team at home and it was practically the last kick off the game.

Ya what worked at Real is what Jose is trying to do here, at Real it was Marcelo/Coentrao bombing on and Albiol tucking in to form a near back 3, Ivan was tasked with it but moving Azp to RB would be better.

I also never want to see Ivan at CB unless the other 3 are out injured/suspended, he lets the FB side of his game take over at CB, ala letting balls in over the top of him as he'd usually have a DM or CB to clear up, at CB he hasnt that luxury and at CB last year he let it happen a lot.

peteeeed wrote: »

i think the peno stoke got yesterday has lessoned the blow of our one, i would say if that had been given against us we'd all be going mad

I seen that it was poor as well but decisions like that happen unfortunately, we've got a good slice of luck from games this year, City and WBA spring to mind.

peteeeed wrote: »

i would reckon we are going to buy in January so some moving on will make sense . jose will have been looking at the market and our squad for the last few months and is ready to get who he wants in jaunary and then next summer

I dont think theres any value in a CF in January unless you want Falcao or Saurez and both woudl cost something in the 60 million region.

The main moves will be in the summer and with Eto'o out of contract, Ba looking likely to be sold we'll another CF and I dont think we'll go in for Rooney again.

So its back to drawing the board but I reckon Jose will bring in hsi won players and cull those he has no need for.

niallo27

I dont think Ramiers dived myself but i dont know how anyone can think it was a penalty, he fell into Reid. What was Reid supposed to do, that article said reid caught him with his left leg, Reid is running in a straight line with his arms up, can someone tell me what they think Reid did wrong.

GavRedKing

niallo27 wrote: »

I dont think Ramiers dived myself but i dont know how anyone can think it was a penalty, he fell into Reid. What was Reid supposed to do, that article said reid caught him with his left leg, Reid is running in a straight line with his arms up, can someone tell me what they think Reid did wrong.

The only thing I can think of is he impeded Ramires run as he was clearly away from the defender on his right and Reid coming around on the cover impeded his run.

Still doesnt excuse it and I think Marriner got it wrong myself, I can only guess that from Marriners P.O.V. it looked like Reid made no attempt to play the ball and just body checked Ramires, its the only reason I can see him giving the penalty, he also took about 2 seconds between blowing and pointing to the spot, i Honestly thought it was going to be a free out.

niallo27

GavRedKing wrote: »

The only thing I can think of is he impeded Ramires run as he was clearly away from the defender on his right and Reid coming around on the cover impeded his run.

Still doesnt excuse it and I think Marriner got it wrong myself, I can only guess that from Marriners P.O.V. it looked like Reid made no attempt to play the ball and just body checked Ramires, its the only reason I can see him giving the penalty, he also took about 2 seconds between blowing and pointing to the spot, i Honestly thought it was going to be a free out.

He was already falling though before he came in contact with Reid, refs make mistakes they are human and chelsea got a lucky break but lets pretend it was a penalty or a soft penalty like some people are saying.

pistolpetes11

niallo27 wrote: »

He was already falling though before he came in contact with Reid, refs make mistakes they are human and chelsea got a lucky break but lets pretend it was a penalty or a soft penalty like some people are saying.

Rambo was clearly on his way down before coming into contact with Reid ,

If Reid had of checked his run Rambo would of went flying across him in the air.

With Rambo already in full flight when coming into contact, Reid's motion sent him flying the opposite direction .

It was a dive all day long and the FA should be able to take retrospective action against Rambo.

I do however agree with Jose on goal where Brana was being man handled , without a doubt it was a free

GavRedKing

niallo27 wrote: »

He was already falling though before he came in contact with Reid, refs make mistakes they are human and chelsea got a lucky break but lets pretend it was a penalty or a soft penalty like some people are saying.

It was a soft penalty, a very soft one, I dont think you'll find a fan that will disagree with ya there.

I'm just trying to find a reason for the ref to give it, in full speed and from his position, Ramires getting impeded is the only reason I can give for the ref awarding the penalty.

Given the weekend and how results panned out the point was fairly big when you consider Spurs, City and Arsenal all lost.

After the WBA game I dont think any Chelsea fan would predict we'd stay in the top 4 after that result.

Like City we've not done well enough away from home but the best part of this year is going into every game you get the feeling anyone can beat anyone it really is that close, 6 points seperating 1st-8th after 11 games shows that.

niallo27

pistolpetes11 wrote: »

Rambo was clearly on his way down before coming into contact with Reid ,

If Reid had of checked his run Rambo would of went flying across him in the air.

With Rambo already in full flight when coming into contact, Reid's motion sent him flying the opposite direction .

It was a dive all day long and the FA should be able to take retrospective action against Rambo.

I do however agree with Jose on goal where Brana was being man handled , without a doubt it was a free

I think he lost his balance myself, i dont think it was a dive myself.

GavRedKing

pistolpetes11 wrote: »

Rambo was clearly on his way down before coming into contact with Reid ,

If Reid had of checked his run Rambo would of went flying across him in the air.

With Rambo already in full flight when coming into contact, Reid's motion sent him flying the opposite direction .

It was a dive all day long and the FA should be able to take retrospective action against Rambo.

I do however agree with Jose on goal where Brana was being man handled , without a doubt it was a free

Agree with all of it, but as far as diving goes it wasnt the worst one I've seen but in the context, last kcik off the game and to salvage a point it does look worse.

Also on the Ivanovic foul in the build up, there was at least 2 maybe 3 seconds when Ivanovic could have played it off, he allowed himself to get swamped and he got caught badly but he was still bustled off the ball, I mean Mikel in the same situation 5 mins later won a free kick for the same thing.

There was a lot at fault on Saturday, Cech the biggest at fault, JT and Lamps for allowing Long to jump unopposed in the 6 yard box to draw level and Cahill and Ivan for stupid mistakes in the lead up to the 2nd goal.

I honestly hope Lamps is dropped for a few games its got to the stage where hes like a very slow moving passenger, hes had some fantastic moments with this club but he hasnt long left and I hope Jose sees it too.

GavRedKing

Given how much flack we got for poaching Isaiah Brown from WBA, I wonder how much 3 points would have went down with those at WBA at the weekend?

Panthro

GavRedKing wrote: »

There was a lot at fault on Saturday, Cech the biggest at fault.

It's been a while since we've said that about the big man in fairness.