CHELSEA F.C
http://www.dmason.net/tmp/CFC.jpg

Stamford Bridge
http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/takebou/img_0675.JPG

The Squad
1- Petr Cech
3- Ashley Cole
4- Claude Makélélé
5- Michael Essien
6- Ricardo Carvalho
7- Andriy Shevchenko
8- Frank Lampard
9- Steve Sidwell
10- Joe Cole
11- Didier Drogba
12- John Obi Mikel
13- Michael Ballack
14- Claudio Pizarro
15- Florent Malouda
16- Arjen Robben
17- Scott Sinclair
18- Wayne Bridge
19- Lassana Diarra
20- Paulo Ferreira
21- Salomon Kalou
22- Tal Ben-Haim
23- Carlo Cudicini
24- Shaun Wright-Phillips
26- John Terry
33- Alex
35- Julliano Belleti
40- Henrique Hilário
51- Sam Hutchinson



On Loan
--- Juan Sebastián Verón (Estudiantes (August 2008))
--- Hernán Crespo (Inter Milan (August 2008))
--- Alcides (PSV (August 2008))
--- Slobodan Rajković (PSV (August 2008))

Transfers

In:
Tal Ben-Haim (Bolton)
Claudio Pizarro (Bayern Munich)
Steve Sidwell (Reading)
Florent Malouda (Lyon)
Jacob Mellis (Sheffield United)
Danny Philliskirk (Oldham)
Juliano Belleti (Barcelona)

Out:
Yves Makaba-Makalambay (Hibernian)
Geremi (Newcastle)
Nuno Morais (Apoel Nicosia)
James Russell (Stevenage)
Glenn Johnson (Portsmouth)

So, thoughts on transfers. Geremi looks like he might be leaving soon, SWP seems like a cert move away, too. Boula, although I'd like him to stay and prove his worth, might be leaving, too, particularly now that both Ben-Haim and Alex are coming. I'd rather see these two fight for a place than Boula. He's a great defender, in CL, he completely immobilised Ronaldinho, but he's a savage. Fouls a lot, very risky to play him. If he can cut down on the fouls, I'd love to see him get a place.

Transfers in, well, I dunno anything about these young wonderkids, but I don't think we really need anything else. Even though I preferred the tactics used two seasons back, with wingers, that doesn't seem like the case anymore, so I buying more wingers isn't necessary. I would like to see striker come in, hell, I'd love to see Huntelaar in Chelsea uniform, but I also want to see Sahar get some time.

Anyway, with what we have currently, I'd go with something like this:

Cech
Carvalho--Terry--Ben-Haim
Makelele
Ballack--Essien
Cole---Lampard---Robben
Drogba

This would never happen though, although I think it could work well. Works for my FM.... meh.

Nope, a four back, take Makelele out and put one striker/supporting forward with Drogba.

Geremi's leaving YESSS.

Makelele OUT? I'd rather see Ballack out any day of the week. With Robben/Kalou/Cole/SWP on the wings, you don't need another striker. Shevchenko and Kalou have been supporting all year, we've played best when we had the two supports. With Makelele, we won't really need 4 back, it would simply mean breaking wide further up, which allows a higher element of surprise. Robben and Cole are great in seeing spaces, this can work wonders. Essien and Ballack help Lamps build the game, we control the ball, pass to Cole/Robben, chips it in, Drogba finishes.

That's what I envision, and Chelsea can win the Premiership easy with this tactic, they have the perfect players for it.

Also, whilst Geremi doesn't really fit with what I envision, he fits with Mou's views, he just has a lot of competition. Great player who doesn't get enough chances.

New thread......New season.....and what a cracker it promises to be.:hump:

Geremi on his way to Newcastle is the latest news. SWP is staying according to his dad Ian Wright speaking on Talk Sport tonight. Ian says that SWP has no intention of leaving Chelsea and Chelsea have already assured him that they want him to stay. Good, I like the guy.

Real Madrid are trying to get Alex, but Chelsea have told them to get stuffed. RM have said that they have already talked to Alex's agent about a move to Spain which if true, is the second time in the off season that RM have tapped up one of our players. Shame really because they will be getting neither of them.

Azrael....No Ashley Cole or Wayne Bridge mate? I don't think Ben Haim will replace either of those guys somehow.

I've always been offensive minded, and I just can't bear to leave out any of the 3 I mentioned. If Ben-Haim can adapt to being rightback, then I'd have Bridge. Not that Cole is bad, but I just find that Bridge affects the play better. I have not been wowed by A.Cole yet, I have by Bridge plenty of times. I'm sure that he, like Ballack, Sidwell, Shevchenko and every other new transfers will prove their worth.

I still think that with the proper training, my formation could rule the Premiership. We have the perfect team for it, but having 3 defenders never works for a full season. Kind of a shame, I think we need more options in attack, since no one on the wings (Ferreira, Bridge, etc.) has ever provided that much in attack. Ballack and Essien together behind Lamps, with Robben and Cole on the wings? Come on, there's no play they wouldn't be able to pull off.

It could be effective for sure. Jose has played a pretty defensive minded game up to now, but he says that this season we will see a more attacking style so you never know how he'll play it. I still think that he will favour a back four though.

I think we will definately see a more settled Sheva, Ballack and Cole this coming season. I'm intrigued by the signing of Pizzaro too. I think he could turn out to be a nice surprise for us all.

Lets just hope that injuries can be kept minimal this time around. We have great cover this season I know, but I wouldn't like to see players get injured to the extent that they did last season. We just need to be alert when we play Reading (N) this time around.

Pede, who, if anyone, do you want to see in Chelsea uniform this season?

Thats tactical bollocks.

Ok, you probably know more than I do, to be honest. Why are you of this opinion, though?

Its incredibly unbalanced. Having three defenders is naturally going to leave your defense narrow. Your cover in the form of Makelele, maybe Essien and to a degree Ballack is still going to only be enough for central areas, leaving you exposed out wide. You can't pull your wingers back, as Joe Cole and Arjen Robben dont offer you the required defensive ability to effectively play as wing backs.

I didn't think of that. I always imagined Essien and Ballack moving to cover the wings during counters, but now that I think of it, I dunno if Ballack has the form to keep up with it, Essien probably does, though. I wonder whether this would work:

-------------------Cech-------------------
---------Carvalho--Terry--Ben-Haim---------
---Geremi--------------------------Bridge---
------------Lampard---Essien---------------
---J.Cole---------------------------Robben--
-------------------Drogba------------------

I don't really like this one, but with 3 defenders, Essien and two wingbacks, Makelele isn't that essential. This can be varied many ways, but the main idea is having Robben and Cole wander towards the centre, and the wingbacks take their positions when attacking. Meh, I suck at tactics.

Pede, who, if anyone, do you want to see in Chelsea uniform this season?

As long as our current squad players all play to their potential, there really isn't anyone else I have any great desire to see at Chelsea. Anyone that I might like to see at Chelsea are just not available, so there's no point in thinking about it.

I'm very satisfied with the squad as it is.

Hi Nick.....you alright mate?

Why would you include geremi if, in the 2nd post, you say he is on his way out? Are you retarded?

I'm satisfied with the squad as long as there aren't any injuries (specially to wingers but Pizarro should be cover enough for strikers). And he's right, we don't have enough width to leave out full backs. Hopefully Ashley Cole will play more offensively like he did with Arsenal this season and make those runs up the left flank.

Why would you include geremi if, in the 2nd post, you say he is on his way out? Are you retarded?

Before you call people retards, why don't you take a good look in the mirror a-hole?

I said that I thought he might be leaving, not that he was leaving. My lineup was also one that I wanted to see, not one that I would see. So, adding those two together you find out that I want Geremi to stay, and would like to see him play, despite the possibility of him leaving.

It's these instances that show the truly dim, the times when the subtleties go unnoticed. Thank you for the insight into a true retard's mind.

Now go away if you don't have something good to say.

Well, Malouda could be coming to the Bridge is the recent news.
And Geremi to Newcastle, Babayaro and now him, i think geremi is nice as a back up. And he did score some crucial goals last season, but he just cant replace anyone in the starting 11.

Malouda could be the required backu for cole/robben. Kalou is more of a striker, cant get the crosses (well..so cant robben). Joe Cole needs to shine this season!!

Malouda is in no way a back up, it would be ridiculous to buy him just to bench him, he is much better than that.

I dunno whether he's 'too' good, but I don't think he's coming, anyway.

you forgot about Paulo F in your squad on the 1st post...

The very first post? He's there, number 20. Between Diarra and Kalou. If you mean the formation, which is the second post, it's a matter of preference. I like Ferreira, I do, but I'd rather see Ben-Haim play before him. And in the one including Geremi, he is simply more offensive-minded than Ferreira, which was why I included him. I think he's a better wingback than Ferreira, that's all.

woops my bad i always thought he was number 2, but yea he seems interesting, i think for him he should ask for a move, i think his style of play he would be suited in Italy

yeee Malouda is coming, he said it himself he wants to go to chelsea and like in the past each Lyon player has gotten thier wish. Robben will def get injured again

-----------------------------Cech--------------------
------------------------Terry----Carvalho------------
--------------Diarra---------------------------Bridge/Cole
------------------------------------------------------
-------Joe Cole--------Lampard--- Essien --------------Malouda
----------------------------------------------------
------------------------Sheva----Drogba------------

*Bridge is my first option at the moment, but playing against Man U and Ronaldo , Cole would def be the starting LB

*Malouda is a better finisher than Robben and just find him very effective
* Ballack is a question mark, not sure wehre to put him , unless move Essien to RB and bring Ballack in the middle.

-----------------------------Cech--------------------
------------------------Terry----Carvalho------------
--------------Essien---------------------------Bridge/Cole
------------------------------------------------------
-------Joe Cole--------Lampard--- Ballack --------------Malouda
----------------------------------------------------
------------------------Sheva----Drogba------------


Not sure if ROBBEN has signed taht extension yet, if we get Malouda, Robben will definitley think twice.

-----------------------------Cech--------------------
--------------------------Terry----Carvalho------------
------------Ben Haim---------------------------Bridge/Cole
------------------------------------------------------
--------------------Essien----------------Malouda
-----------------------------Lampard------------------------
----------------Sheva---------Drogba----------Kalou/Cole/Robben------------

this might be interesting

I'd go with this:

-----------------------------Cech--------------------
--------------------------Terry----Carvalho------------
--------------Paulo Ferreira/Alex---------------------------Bridge/Cole
------------------------------------------------------
--------------------Essien/Sidwell----------------Makelele/Mikel
-----------------------------Lampard------------------------
----------------Kalou/Robben---------Drogba/Pizzaro/Sheva----------SWP/J.Cole------------

Lets start with defence:

If Alex comes I'm almost certain he'd be third choice central defender, but I've seen him play right-back at PSV(against Milan I think, in CL) so we've got cover if Paulo's out of sorts.....
Bridge/Cole are on par for me judging from last season.....Bridge is a better crosser, but Cole is quicker so they both got their good points

Midfield:

Lampard, certainty along with Robben and/or Joe Cole(they play as wingers so i'll consider that midfield) provided they're fully fit. The real problem is Ballack, I just don't see how he fits the system thats based around Lampard, so I'd put Essien/Sidwell and Makelele(or Mikel considering Maka's at that age).

Strikers:

Drogba would be first choice obviously, Pizzaro's a similiar kind of player to Sheva so no problems for cover. In the ANC, Drogba's out for a few games, so it'll be Pizzaro and/or Sheva depending on whether Jose wants to start two/one creative midfielders(that being Robben and J.Cole as first choices with Kalou and SWP standing by).

Well, that wraps my views up!!
So any disagreements or improvements that can be made?

The only thing I regret is that we didn't sign a much younger and pacy striker so that it would complement Drogba's directiveness. Pizzaro and Sheva don't fit the young and pacy type. Maybe Scott Sinclair in the future?

Malouda could be the required backu for cole/robben. Kalou is more of a striker, cant get the crosses (well..so cant robben). Joe Cole needs to shine this season!!

I reckon you haven't seen Arjen Robben at his best mate, go to youtube and watch the Carling Cup Final 06/07 Highlights(who crossed for Drogba to head in the winner) or Robben compilations b4 you judge whether he can cross or not.

Play Alex and Chelsea'll be champions. Alex at right back would be a joke btw. He never played there for PSV as well.

hmm, i thought i saw him there, maybe he tends to pop-up and help his full backs? hehehe
Playing Alex at right-back wouldn't be as big a joke as playing Terry as GK!!!

Diarra what? Come on, Ferreira isn't that bad but he really has to prove himself this season. Plus Johnson's back from the loan but I don't think it'll make a difference. BTW, I don't think that SWP can play on the left at all. Plus he's really bad with his weaker foot.

I'd go with this:

-----------------------------Cech--------------------
--------------------------Terry----Carvalho------------
--------------Paulo Ferreira/Alex---------------------------Bridge/Cole
------------------------------------------------------
--------------------Essien/Sidwell----------------Makelele/Mikel
-----------------------------Lampard------------------------
----------------Kalou/Robben---------Drogba/Pizzaro/Sheva----------SWP/J.Cole------------



I dont think Sidwell can even come close to challenge Essien for that startin spot,
SWP is gonna leave for sure , i dont think hes gonna be in use,
Alex at RB wont be effective especially if you gonna put him over natura RB like Ferrira, Glen Johnson,Diarra and Ben Haim.

I agree tho, i really cant picture Ballack alongside Lampard , they just dont compliment each other , hopefully they can prove me wrong and show that theyve developed great chemistry.

I reckon you haven't seen Arjen Robben at his best mate, go to youtube and watch the Carling Cup Final 06/07 Highlights(who crossed for Drogba to head in the winner) or Robben compilations b4 you judge whether he can cross or not.

Compilations don't mean a thing.
And how many times have you seen him try to move in when he could have crossed the ball, plenty!
And hes been far too injured to be at his best neways...

Play Alex and Chelsea'll be champions. Alex at right back would be a joke btw. He never played there for PSV as well.

I think it's gonna take just a little bit more than Alex.

Looks like we're in for Geremi.

sorry mate, i thought that u said Robben doesn't have the ability to cross the ball, yes, he's been injured frequently but he's still a quality player, i agree with him over-dribbling at times, thats an aspect that can be improved............
btw, i don't really think we'll sign Malouda unless one of the wingers go out.....SWP most likely, City's obviously got money to spend after all that takeover stuff..........

Good luck with Geremi!!! Let him take the free-kicks!!! lolz

Whats with Ben-Haim as a right back, isnt he a right back?

I just read an article stating that Chelsea is very interested in Nery Castillo, the Mexican striker that plays for Olimpiakos!

Possibly mate, but we get linked to every player who wants his value pumped up so you never know. I haven't heard anything about this one though.

Peter Kenyon has stated that Chelsea have NOT offered any money for Malouda. The stories regarding Chelsea offering £12million for him are rubbish. He added that Chelsea are not in the market for any big priced players this window.

According to Kenyon, SWP and Arjen Robben are going nowhere. They are staying at Chelsea.

fair enough, considerin Robben bein only 23 and the upside this guy has is crazzzzy , glad to hang on to him. Hopefully this can be SWP breakout year

Possibly mate, but we get linked to every player who wants his value pumped up so you never know. I haven't heard anything about this one though.

Peter Kenyon has stated that Chelsea have NOT offered any money for Malouda. The stories regarding Chelsea offering £12million for him are rubbish. He added that Chelsea are not in the market for any big priced players this window.

According to Kenyon, SWP and Arjen Robben are going nowhere. They are staying at Chelsea.

I can provide you with a link bro but all the information is in spanish!

Yes please Mexi, I would be interested. Cheers mate.

What's the story on Ballack? Did you guys get tired of him already? :D

Yes please Mexi, I would be interested. Cheers mate.

Here it is man but like I said the info is in Spansh!
http://www.oem.com.mx/esto/notas/n329089.htm

That is not really reliable information. No actual word from Chelsea, just the greeks inflating interest in a player. I do not really buy that, but I am not saying it would not happen either.

Well it just sais that Roman Abramovich(Chelsea's owner) is interested in Nery Castillo, so who know's! It would be great if Nery did play in England 'cause he sure has the technique and the speed to do so.

Malouda says that he wants Chelsea over Liverpool, and that he has spoken to Jose.....just have to wait and see where this thing goes.

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=international_feed/07/06/30/SOCCER_Fra-Malouda.html&TEAMHD=soccer

Pato did nothing special in the U-20 game today. Even if he had though, he's not worth the 20 million pound price tag.

Pato did nothing special in the U-20 game today. Even if he had though, he's not worth the 20 million pound price tag.
hez definetely nothing special....
:sleep:

u cant judge a player after one game. but i agree 20 mill is way too much , but the dudes got skill, and remember who scouted him... "The Judge" , the master in spotting talents ... Piet de Visser... and i think Pato is gonna be crazzzzzy in the future.

Apparently Lamps has rejected a new contract that would've made him the club's highest paid player, like he wanted.....but this is reported by the News of the World...so means nothing unless the player says it himself....
The same paper also claims that Arjen Robben is in talks with Real Madrid, all bunch of BS 4 me....:p

Yup. The News of the World, The People,The Times, the Sun, other papers and Sky Sports News are ALL owned by Rupert Murdoch. When one outlet of his machine prints a lie, it is repeated by ALL of his other outlets, therefore giving the impression that the lie has substance.

How this control freak ever got so powerful in England needs to be seriously looked at. Governments rise and fall at his whim. It's that serious.

Earlier reports stated that Frank wanted pay parity with Sheva and Ballack. This report says that Chelsea offered him that parity but Frank turned it down.......Yeah right.

Personally I would sooner reduce what Sheva and Ballack are on rather than pay a ridiculous £150,000 A WEEK to any Chelsea player.

See you later frank. :ewan:

Stotty, don't make me repeat my dream.

Spanish media having a field day with this. Apparantly, Lamps is a sure azulgrana this campaign. You should've seen it, they're talking about Saviola and other players who're out of contract, suddenly, 'Breaking news, BBC reports that Lampard has rejected a new contract, and is unhappy at London... blah blah bull**** about Lampard going to barca' Seriously, I hate spanish media. I mean, this was 30 minutes ago, read the article 4 hours ago and it wasn't painted a different shade of crap.

Well,
The further this goes on, the further fans will question Frank's integrity. On the one hand Chelsea have backed him whenever he has been in trouble with his England performances, and what does he do, says he is unhappy with a supposedly unsurpassed weekly package, highly exceptionable...

I just hope this is all i get to say in this matter, if not..

meh..we got ballack...

Half the player. Twice the age. Your a sinking ship. Premiership title gone, players leaving, a past it centre forward who the manager is forced to play, resorting to signing free agents. The signs aren't good.
Please someone bite

Alright Stotty, I'm giving your name to queersareus.com

Half the player. Twice the age. Your a sinking ship. Premiership title gone, players leaving, a past it centre forward who the manager is forced to play, resorting to signing free agents. The signs aren't good.
Please someone bite

You sure are being presumptious...
Lets see what you have to say when Scholes and Giggs retire and Nani and the other guy turn out to be Darren Fletchers (yes..you heard right, or worse Djemba Djembas), or maybe when we win the premiership this year...


Did you send his name yet Azrael?

Not yet, no, I wanna keep him for myself. I think homosexual innuendos for 2 months would be enough punishment.

Well, what did I tell you guys..... "reports" by tabloids shouldn't be taken seriously, there were no talks going on between Frank and CFC therefore no contract was rejected, says Lamps agent. Geremi looks like he's out tho but Calderon continues to s.h.i.t. himself that the deal with Robben is almost done.

Read here:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=442900&cc=4716

You sure are being presumptious...
Lets see what you have to say when Scholes and Giggs retire and Nani and the other guy turn out to be Darren Fletchers (yes..you heard right, or worse Djemba Djembas), or maybe when we win the premiership this year...


Did you send his name yet Azrael?

Excuse me if I'm wrong, but were you not a Man Utd some time ago?

I was NEVER.

I bet someone with enough free time (Azrael) can go through all my posts ever and confirm this.

How dare you denigrate me!

Take it outside ladies. Jatin, you keep making jibes about my time management, and I swear I'll rape you.

Talking about time management...i bet you have one of these:

http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~elmer/simpsons/homer/toiletchair.jpg

Back to the subject.
I read in the Real Madrid thread that Chelsea have given the green light for Robben. The Spanish sure have some imagination.

Whilst it might happen, I'm not believing anything until I see word from him or Chelsea. I certainly hope that Robben stays.

Alright Jatin, sorry about that.

I thought I read on SkySports last week that Chelsea had virtually signed Alex Pato - now they're reporting Milan and Inter are interested.

I certainly feel that unless Robben or any other key member leaves, there is very little need for improvement.
A star signing would be welcome anytime though.
And maybe a fast Right back.

I'd take Robben over Malouda anyday. Either way, some sort of winger, specially one that could play on both flanks would be nice. Whatever happened to signing Juaquin, shame.

1 MV Petr Čech
3 F Ashley Cole
4 MF Claude Makélélé
5 MF Michael Essien
6 F Ricardo Carvalho
7 A Andriy Shevchenko
8 MF Frank Lampard (viceCap)
9 F Khalid Boulahrouz
10 MF Joe Cole
11 A Didier Drogba
12 MF John Obi Mikel
13 MF Michael Ballack
14 MF Geremi Njitap
16 MF Arjen Robben
18 F Wayne Bridge
19 MF Lassana Diarra
20 F Paulo Ferreira
21 A Salomon Kalou
23 MV Carlo Cudicini
24 MF Shaun Wright-Phillips
26 F John Terry (Cap)
40 MV Henrique Hilário
- F Tal Ben Haim
- MF Steve Sidwell
- A Claudio Pizarro






Seems Good:corn:

Geremi deal gone through, he's at Newcastle. Shame, I really hoped to see him get more time.

I herd Alex from PSV signed with Chelsea, is this true?

Yeah, I think Alex will be coming to Chelsea this season.

It seems that Chelsea have upped the bid for Daniel Alves to 23 million Euro's. Sevilla were asking 25 million but Chelsea are looking to sell Khalid to them on the cheap so the bid might be enough.

Lyon are once again playing games over the Moulada transfer, with their president Jean-Michel Aulas, the same guy that played hardball with us over Essien's transfer, insisting that Chelsea are not showing enough commitment to the deal,( i.e. Not paying what they are asking for). It's all politics though and I can see Moulada still coming to us.

Because of the imminant arrival of Malouda, Chelsea have apparently given Real Madrid permission to speak to Arjen Robben. I think Jose has lost patience with Arjen and is willing to let him go to Madrid in exchange for the Spanish Champions staying out of the Malouda situation. Chelsea fear that if Madrid start bidding on the player, Malouda's transfer will turn into an auction.

I like Arjen (when he is fit to play), but I do feel that he doesn't show enough commitment on the pitch any more. He shys away from tackles too much and lets face it, acts like a pussy too often too. I think he finds the physical side of the EPL too hard to handle.

do we really need Alves? i mean we got a couple players who can play RB for us, Diarra, Ferrara, Glen Johnson , and Ben Haim can also step in.

And i do hope we get Malouda, but with Robben the dudes 23 and Malouda is 4 years older, and the upside Robben has is massive, hes the type of player if he can stay healthy and consistently keep that killer instinct he would definitley be one of the top 5 players in the world. Malouda provides good balance, he can attack and has better defense than Robben , but i rather prefer Robben because how he can change a game instantly by going at defenders ruthless style ... when he stays healthy , which is very key.

Yeah I feel pretty much the same mate, but the part that says, "if he can stay healthy ", is the same thing thats worrying Jose. Lets face it, he has hardly played since hearrived at Chelsea. When he comes on he can change a game for sure and he IS dynamic, but we can't risk another half a season without him. He is too expensive to have him on the treatment table most of every season.

Right back: I like Ferrera, but he is just not quite good enough I dont think. Johnson, unless he has improved while at Portsmouth is pretty poor in my opinion. Diarra is OK to fill in there when needed but I think we do need an exceptional right back and not just a "good" one.

what's up with the Lampard to Barca sh*t? Any truth to that? I also read that some big guns want to leave. :|

It's all part of the News International campaign to de-stabilise Chelsea Mark. It's all bull, all of it. I think that the club, players and agents should just ignore the media, but the stories getso fanciful over here that those concerned eventually have to issue a denial before the lie gets even bigger. Like at any club, if it's not on the official website then it aint happening. thats the bestway to look at all the crap whether is about Chelsea or anyone else.

So far this week alone, the Sun and the News of the World, have targeted Lampard, Drogba, Robben,Sheva, Cech and Terry as being unhappy and on their way out. Its all so boring and I wish the club would start suing someone over all the s.h.it that is printed.

Right back: I like Ferrera, but he is just not quite good enough I dont think.

You're right about that, I agree. I know his cousin and even him reckons Paulo doesn't have the quality to be a starter at Chelsea. He's consistent you may say, but he's just an OK player overall. Very rarely he comes up with anything special, he's good at defending but not so good at attacking imo. Usually shy at going forward with the ball. Now you see that buying him for something like 20 M € is completely insane. Yes I know you can afford it, but it's still way too much money for him.

What surprises me is, Mourinho should already know him well enough when he bought him.

It's all part of the News International campaign to de-stabilise Chelsea Mark. It's all bull, all of it. I think that the club, players and agents should just ignore the media, but the stories getso fanciful over here that those concerned eventually have to issue a denial before the lie gets even bigger. Like at any club, if it's not on the official website then it aint happening. thats the bestway to look at all the crap whether is about Chelsea or anyone else.

So far this week alone, the Sun and the News of the World, have targeted Lampard, Drogba, Robben,Sheva, Cech and Terry as being unhappy and on their way out. Its all so boring and I wish the club would start suing someone over all the s.h.it that is printed.

F*ckin' media, we know a thing or two about those bastards! :rolleyes:

Considering Ferraira wasnt even a choice for the Portugal NT, i dunno y we paid so much for him . As pede said, hes good (ok), but to be at chelsea starting, you have to e exceptional. He is like Bridge, but we still got Ashley Cole. Why not a right back?

Hi mark....Yeah mate, I guess you do at that. Like I said, its not only Chelsea, and it's not only the English media either. We have Murdoch running our media, (and hence controlling public opinion), and Italy has dear old Silvio. Something has to be done about these media moguls. They are dangerous and I'm not just talking about football here either.

When Paulo firstcame I thought he showed a lot of promise, but for some reason he has remained a good defender instead of progressing into a great one. Jose began to use him less and less last season so its clear that he is also a little dissapointed with him. It seems that he has never really settled at Chelsea for some reason. He's a good defender of that there is no doubt. He is a clean, honest and hard working player and seems a really nice guy, but he lacks something going forward. His forward runs are rarely successful and we do need a right back who is also going to be beneficial to our movement going forward. I can't see him being happy to NOT be first choice right back though. Maybe he will fight for his place or perhaps he will want to move somewhere else. We will have to wait and see I guess.

It's a shame they won't leave Lampard alone, should he not be on his holidays now anyway? So therefore the stories of wanting to leave, wanting to stay, rejecting contracts etc. are all bull****??? Have Chelsea resumed training yet???

No, I don't they have. Out of the two, I prefered Geremi over Ferreira, but Paulo is someone who Mou can say, I need you this game, and he plays alright, Geremi, Diarra and Boula can't promise that, which is probably why he's still in the club, whilst two of the aforementioned have left/on the way out. I prefer Bridge over Cole, mostly because he's like Fer, he can play well, and he won't let you down, he can also join the attack and wreck havoc, but he's being overshadowed by Cole who used to be exceptional, and is now rather average. I'm hoping that him, Ballack, Sheva and all the new guys get their form back, because other thanm Kalou, I don't think any signing played particular well this season. They didn't play bad, but they didn't give us the edge we expected from them.

I'm ignoring the Lampard crap for now. It's all reporters acting like hairdressers, sharing gossip instead of doing their jobs, reporting. I'd rather have Robben over Malouda, but Mou is smart, he knows that if Robben has another injury-plagued year, the asking price would have to be lowered, right now he can get a lot of money for Robben, and get Malouda who probably won't get injured as much, less fragile. Still, as a player, Robben is better, and has more promise, I'm hoping to see him stay, maybe Malouda in, and SWP out. This, of course, if Mou actually uses the wings. We have a lot of players who play at the centre, and we barely used the flanks this season. If we're barely gonna use them, we might as well sell Robben.

If one thing is for certain though, J.Cole has to stay.

It's a shame they won't leave Lampard alone, should he not be on his holidays now anyway? So therefore the stories of wanting to leave, wanting to stay, rejecting contracts etc. are all bull****??? Have Chelsea resumed training yet???

Not yet Sean. As you say, everyone is still on holiday. Talks between Frank, JT and Robben are not taking place until next week when they return.

Man this media hounding has gone on ever since Roman took over. Murdoch obviously does not like Russians or he dislikes Jews. Or maybe he dislikes Russian Jews who knows. One thing is for sure, like dear old Silvio, Murdoch is a facist right wing, racist meglomaniac so his problem with Roman isn't hard to fathom out really.

I'd admit that the 12.5 million pound bid for Maloud might be too low. They're asking for 25 million Euros and our offer is around 18. I wouldn't mind paying at least 22 million Euros for him if that's what it takes because transfer prices right now or overpriced anyways and we have a real chance of getting this guy.

According to Lyon, Kenyon has made them a suitable offer for Malouda. After speaking with Kenyon this afternoon, Lyon staff removed Malouda from the clubs training camp. Looks like this saga might be drawing to a close.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04072007/58/premiership-malouda-move-closer-chelsea-switch.html

Police in Norway are about to arrest Morgan Andersen the ex manager of Lynn Oslo on charges of forgery and falsifying documents, relating to the sale of John Obi Mikel to Man U. The police are satisfied that Morgan forged Mikels signature on the documents concerned. If found guilty Lynn Oslo would have to refund Chelsea the £16 million they made from the deal, and Andersen will face a term in prison.

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/sports/article1868881.ece

The Mancs won't be interested in this. They prefer to believe the bulls.h.it version of events. Bless.

The Mancs won't be interested in this. They prefer to believe the bulls.h.it version of events. Bless. Only part we're interested in is the 12million we got from that deal. Awesome to say he never played for us. Good luck gettin that 16million back from Lyn, they only got 4 !

They may have only got four but if found guilty, Lyn Oslo will have to repay Man U's £12 million too.

To be honest, I'd rather have Mikel on board than pocket a measly 12 million quid. We would of had to pay a fee to someone so it hardly matters that it was Man u.

12million quid?.....Roman makes more than that before breakfast:funny:

12million quid?.....Roman makes more than that before breakfast:funny: Stop crying about it then ? If Roman make's that much before breakfast, and doesn't care, then why is he limiting Jose's spending, and making him make free signing's like Steve Sidwell.

He didn't make him sign anyone. Sidwell was signed because Mou thinks he will benefit the team. So he came free? Just makes it better.

I don't believe how anyone can make fun of the Sidwell signing, If you get a decent layer for free, thats great Business, rather than paying 20 Million for the supposedly next C. Ronaldo.

Stop crying about it then ? If Roman make's that much before breakfast, and doesn't care, then why is he limiting Jose's spending, and making him make free signing's like Steve Sidwell.


Crying about it? We got Mikel and you got cash. I know which one I'd rather have pal.

And please stop believing everything you read in the Sun mate. You make yourself look more stupid with every post.

Oh and try to develop a sense of humour too you miserable <unt. You take everything much too seriously. Lighten up mate.

Heres another project that Roman sorted out before breakfast. Chelsea's new training HQ.
http://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.1522021.0.chelsea_unveils_new_football _super_centre.php

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/surrey/6273640.stm

damnnnnnnnn nice find pede, the future is loookkinnn niceeee, and im not sure wats goin on with the expansion of stamford bridge or if they gonna move to a new stadium

Sounds like a pretty impressive training facility huh? You gotta admire Roman's enthusiasm for the club. So much for Romans pockets being empty for Chelsea huh?:mexican:

I hear that they are to refurbish and add to the Hotel complex at Chelsea, so that leads me to think that Stamford Bridge will not be expanding, as this area was one of the main areas for expansion. Apart from all that, because Stamford Bridge has a railway on two sides of the ground, the only way into the ground is from Fulham Palace Road. Every time the expansion plans are submitted for approval, they are refused permission on health and safety grounds.

So, unless Roman digs a couple of tunnels for the trains, thereby giving us access from 3 sides of the stadium, the expansion of Stamford Bridge can never take place.

Kenyon and Buck were seen recently over the road from Stamford Bridge on redeveloped and vacant land next to the Thames. They were photographed looking at blueprints of some kind. It doesn't take a genius to work out what they were doing there. The site in question it has been said, could easily fit a football stadium which would be the biggest in the country. As you say....who knows what will happen.

So, unless Roman digs a couple of tunnels for the trains, thereby giving us access from 3 sides of the stadium, the expansion of Stamford Bridge can never take place.

Stop giving Roman ideas pede!

He never listens to me anyway mate:D

Some more pics of the new Training HQ
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premiership/article2031400.ece

Also good luck to Geremi during his time at Newcastle. He has been great for us over the years. Thanks go to him.
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=345936

I'll be watching your team live next saturday vs. Club America. It's a niiiiceee.

club america? Is it a Mexican club? The name rings some bells......

Looks like Malouda will be with us by Tuesday
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/overseas/france/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=soccer/07/07/08/manual_124835.html&TEAMHD=france

Hmm, so what's the status on Robben, this looks like it will expedite his move to Madrid, i surely hope not!

Kenyon mentioned on the Chelsea website that Malouda's coming over here won't effect the future of Robben, he says that they're completely different types of player.....go read Chelseafc.com->latest news->malouda cobham

Kenyon also said that they werent gonna make any big money buys and early on he also said that CHelsea didnt even bid for Malouda and now Malouda has justb een bough , so i dont know wat to think or if i can believe Kenyon on activities within the transfer market

well, maybe big money as in 25++million quid for a player?
How much is Malouda gonna cost? I heard he's valued around 15million and above..

Actually when Kenyon said that Chelsea had not yet put in a bid for Malouda, at that time he was telling the truth.It was Lyon who informed the world of Chelsea's alledged bid, probably in the hope that this might have started a bidding war to push up his value.

As Zakov said, a £14million transfer fee for Chelsea, is not a big money buy.

We have Malouda
http://www.itv.com/news/index_6f776d5c8a1fa99368ca5e1e1a122c39.html

Can't resist this..... Gallas has finally realised that he fu<ked up BIG TIME. Only a slimeball like Gallas would take this story to the media considering the mess Arsenal are in at this time. The rats are leaving the ship.
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/07/07/09/manual_110500.html&TEAMHD=soccer

Ah..that got a smirk on my face,
although i have to say we missed him this season, if only he was as good off the pitch as on it!

club america? Is it a Mexican club? The name rings some bells......

yes, it's a mexican club and by live i meant i'll be in the stadium.

Malouda's a definite, looks like both Boula and Robben are leaving, so I'm pretty sure that Mou will be playing Ben-Haim on the right wing with Ferreira. It's a shame though, I'd have rather seen Boula fight (not literally) for his place, because he does have it in him. The whole Robben thing has already been discussed, I hope Malou will surprise me for the better.

Khalid hasn't travelled to America with the rest of the squad because according to Chelsea, he will be talking to various interested clubs. So yep he is definately gone.

I must say that Khalid did not impress me one bit last season. Although if these days we accept that it takes at least a season in the EPL to adapt, then I wonder why he wasn't given one more season to prove himself.

Robben travelled with the squad to America. I heard him give an interview this afternoon and when asked about his future he said, " I am still a Chelsea player". I did hope that he might elaborate a little and add "and I want to remain a Chelsea player", but his comment was short and to the point. He did add that he was looking forward to the coming season with Chelsea, and was looking forward to fighting for his place. So, that was positive enough I guess.

Maybe something is going on regarding a move or maybe not. I have no idea whether he will stay or go as yet.

sidwell has got no. 9 i thought at least pizzaro will get that but he hasgot 14.
Ben Haim has got 22....and intrestingly sinclair has got 17 may be we will see him in the regular team more often

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/bb/fullj.getty-fbl-us-chelsea_fc_4_01_27_pm.jpg

Boula to Sevilla on loan, I hope this means that Chelsea are still considering keeping him.

i'm very glad boulahrouz was loaned because he was an obvious mistake
i'm sorry to all his possible supporters but he's crap
he doesn't have what it takes to play in a club like chelsea

Some great signings at bargain prices, this is a promising season, not being defending champions and not spending as much as the other clubs will do us some good because less pressure on Chelsea.

i'm very glad boulahrouz was loaned because he was an obvious mistake
i'm sorry to all his possible supporters but he's crap
he doesn't have what it takes to play in a club like chelsea
Boula crap?! He had a bad season, but he isnt crap at all! Mourinho put alot of pressure on him and played him at wrong positions mostly. Boula is good enough for any big club. Look at his WC games. The guy was tremendous. He was MoM against Argentina when he kept Messi, yes MESSI quiet for the whole game. When he plays for Holland he always is the best. At HSV he was superb. So dont come and tell us that he isnt good enough. I think that he has it in him. But with Carvalho and Terry, and now also Alex in the team its better to leave him go for one season.

i think i have to agree, Boulo wasnt good this year but you can see wat kind of player he CAN be, we must not forget the job he did on Ronaldhino at the game in Stamford Bridge , i agree with Justhammy when Boulo is ontop of his game hes quality for sure

http://www.soccergaming.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=132062&stc=1&d=1184473599
http://www.soccergaming.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=132063&stc=1&d=1184473610
http://www.soccergaming.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=132064&stc=1&d=1184473621
http://www.soccergaming.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=132065&stc=1&d=1184473627

some pics from today's game

Chelsea's first goal was an absolute gift! :o

John Terry looks a wee bit of a muppet when dancing too.

Who is No. 51?

Khalid hasn't travelled to America with the rest of the squad because according to Chelsea, he will be talking to various interested clubs. So yep he is definately gone.

I must say that Khalid did not impress me one bit last season. Although if these days we accept that it takes at least a season in the EPL to adapt, then I wonder why he wasn't given one more season to prove himself.

Robben travelled with the squad to America. I heard him give an interview this afternoon and when asked about his future he said, " I am still a Chelsea player". I did hope that he might elaborate a little and add "and I want to remain a Chelsea player", but his comment was short and to the point. He did add that he was looking forward to the coming season with Chelsea, and was looking forward to fighting for his place. So, that was positive enough I guess.

Maybe something is going on regarding a move or maybe not. I have no idea whether he will stay or go as yet.

LOOKS like he might be on his way, and i have to say, if he goes i think it's a huge mistake from Mourinho or who ever makes that final decision. Robben is one of the best wingers in the world, and he's not particularly old.

Bad move from Chelsea if they let him go.

True I still regret loosing Duff sometimes, if they let Robben go Chelsea will be limited when it comes to offensive midfielder.

Well, whatever the media want to report Bruce Buck is still confident of keeping Robben. He says there is no rush to thrash out a new deal as Robben has 2 years left on his contract anyway. Same goes for Frank and JT.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUKL0586051920070717

Meanwhile the papers are re-hashing year old quotes from Drogba regarding his position at Chelsea. They also claim that Chelsea have raised the price of Robben to £17 million if Madrid want him. Strange that because Chelsea deny having any contact with Madrid at all this summer.

You'd think the media would find something real to report, rather than maintain this boring succession of lies and innuendo regarding Chelsea.

Bridge is out for 8 weeks after having hip surgery in the States.

Jose says he will not use the "diamond" formation again. He will opt for a more attacking formation with more attacking width. With the present squad it just has to make sense to maximise the talent we have.

AC Milan and Porto are said to be hot on the heels of Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and now the striker himself has hinted that he might leave the Bridge if he is “not taken care of”, which esseantially means..show me the money.

He told The Sun: “For now things are still fuzzy, not clear. Yet any good offer could tip the scale in any other team’s favour. I have heard there are offers from Porto, Barca and the rest. But I’ve not made up my mind.”

Drogba’s 20 goals helped Chelsea to second spot in the Premiership last season, but the 29-year-old expects better and has warned he will consider leaving if the Blues cannot up their game.


"But, for now, let's just wait and see. I'm at the last big turning point of my career. "It's time for one final big choice: 'Should I stay or should I go?' "I am tempted to discover another world and to see what footballing life is like outside England."

no dobt just tabloid crap, especially the stuff coming from the sun, but thought i'd post it, you never know...

no doubt just tabloid crap, especially the stuff coming from the sun, but thought i'd post it, you never know...


Ade....thats the crap from a year ago that I was talking about mate. Old (alledged) quotes....Old news.

lol the sun, you gotta love it, if only for page 3.

lol the sun, you gotta love it, if only for page 3.

Do they still do page 3?

I used to get a bit hot over Samantha Fox back in the old days. Man, she was hot back then. Can't belive they still have page 3. Thats probably the only reason they sell any papers though, 'cos the rest of it is garbage.

:funny: its like a comic book for adults, they just need pop ups, and a colouring section, sales will go through the roof.

so, Drogba linked with Porto...pure comedy (Y)

Mourinho keen for Robben to stay
Arjen Robben
Chelsea paid PSV Eindhoven over £12m for Robben
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has denied that Dutch winger Arjen Robben is set to leave the club.

Like his Blues' team-mates John Terry and Frank Lampard, Robben, 23, has two years left on his current contract and is yet to agree a new deal.

But Mourinho said: "The club wants to keep these players. I trust the board and our chief executive Peter Kenyon in the negotiations he is doing.

"I know the players want to stay and I would be happy if they signed."

Robben is yet to sign the new five-year deal he has been offered and has been continually linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer.

His future has been further clouded by Chelsea's signing of Lyon winger Florent Malouda and Robben admitted on 10 July that contract talks were not going well.



The winger is one of manager Mourinho's key players but his progress at Chelsea has been hampered by a succession of injuries.

Last season, a thigh strain and knee injury kept him on the sidelines for several weeks of the campaign.

However Mourinho says he is keen to keep Robben, despite Malouda's arrival.

Robben played 45 minutes of Chelsea's 1-0 friendly win over Suwon Bluewings at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, on Tuesday.


I look at him as a Chelsea player and he has to compete against very good wingers like we have. I am happy with the situation

Jose Mourinho on Arjen Robben

After the match Mourinho said: "The latest with Robben is that he played the game. I cannot tell you more than that.

"At the moment he is a Chelsea player with two more years of contract and he is working well.

"For me, he is a player like Terry or Lampard with two more years of contract.

"I look at him as a Chelsea player and he has to compete against very good wingers like we have. I am happy with the situation." If Robben was leaving I don't think he would have travailed with them for the pre-season friendlies, he is most probably in for this season, not too sure if he will renew his contract after that tho.

Jose says he will not use the "diamond" formation again. He will opt for a more attacking formation with more attacking width. With the present squad it just has to make sense to maximise the talent we have.

Yeah read that yesterday, i find it funny that the papers said it was a "new tactic". No it isn't, he's just reverting to the FAR superior 4-3-3 that won them the league two years in a row.

Hence why i think it's dumb if Buck or whoever decides to get rid of Robben.

I don't think anyone wants to get rid of him Tom. The only reason Robben will go is if HE wants to go. Great player when he's fit, but just a bit fragile since he came to the EPL. We've never had a full season of Robben yet as his injuries are usually long lasting. As good as he is, we have cover for his position if he wants out.

I don't think he does though. He's just holding out for more money. It's what they do.

Malouda is better IMO, well at least more effective.

I think Robben is a better player, but he's always injured.

Highlights and goals from the USA tour. Scroll down the page to find the games.
http://footballocks.net/

mannn im eager to see Pizzarro , this guy is quality, community shield is not too far away also, im having great thoughts bout this season, CECHHH IS back for the whole year and our defense is stronger , we will be back on top because when our defense is ON.... NO club in the prem can compete with us and the 1st and 2nd league titles prove it. cant wait. ALso i gotta say im lovin Chelseas stance on Robben. NOOO Way is he leavin before his contract especially when he doesnt care. dude said it himself that he would welcome the fact to honor his contract. and two years is alot of time . MAn Utd comm shield is gonna be sik

Well in Spain they think other then what you say ;)

According to Marca (i know its not VERY reliable) the deal for Robben is done. We payed 30 mil for him. And im sure that if thats true, that Chelsea is laughing their a$$ out, because we payed too much. When fit he may be worth it, but he is always injured :(

Marca is a joke. £30 mill for Robben? I shouldn't think so.

Calderon stated the obvious today when he said,

"It has to be the selling club who first decides, and once that has happened, I don't suppose there will be any problems resolving the player's contract".

Really? I think we all knew that already. Chelsea aint going to let him go. This move for Robben has been a Calderon fantasy from day one. Same with Malouda, Kaka and probably Drenth too.

I can understand the tabloids lying to the fans but for a club president like Calderon to claim a few weeks ago, “We are in talks with Chelsea and the player, they are at an early stage but we hope to sign him. Bringing Robben was one of my pledges when I was running for president and still remains the case.”

That is just a disgraceful case of fabrication and an obvious ploy to unsettle the player. The jury is still out whether Madrid have tapped Robben up or not. It really makes Madrid look bad when their President lies through his teeth so much. I would have thought the fans would have had enough of his big talk by now.

Looks like Ashley cole, (the happy half of the Gallas/Cole deal :D), will be fit to play by the time the Charity Shield comes around. He started training today after having an ankle operation.:D

Yeah I'm REALLY looking forward to this coming season too. With Jose about to let the players off the leash and do their thing, AND with our defence (with top class cover too), I think we are gonna love it all the way to the title.;)

Marca is a joke. £30 mill for Robben? I shouldn't think so.

Calderon stated the obvious today when he said,

"It has to be the selling club who first decides, and once that has happened, I don't suppose there will be any problems resolving the player's contract".

Really? I think we all knew that already. Chelsea aint going to let him go. This move for Robben has been a Calderon fantasy from day one. Same with Malouda, Kaka and probably Drenth too.

I can understand the tabloids lying to the fans but for a club president like Calderon to claim a few weeks ago, “We are in talks with Chelsea and the player, they are at an early stage but we hope to sign him. Bringing Robben was one of my pledges when I was running for president and still remains the case.”

That is just a disgraceful case of fabrication and an obvious ploy to unsettle the player. The jury is still out whether Madrid have tapped Robben up or not. It really makes Madrid look bad when their President lies through his teeth so much. I would have thought the fans would have had enough of his big talk by now.

LOL, we have had enough of him a loooong time ago! ;) The guy likes to talk and like iv said Marca isnt reliable.

Yeah I'm REALLY looking forward to this coming season too. With Jose about to let the players off the leash and do their thing, AND with our defence (with top class cover too), I think we are gonna love it all the way to the title.;)

Let's not get too cocky before you've won the thing, ay Pete? ;)

Let's not get too cocky before you've won the thing, ay Pete? ;)

Ah OK. Just feeling optomistic and confident ol' mate. I'm sure you feel the same. Its gonna be a blinding season dont you think?

How did Pizarro do in his first match? not gonna lie but I'm loving the Chelsea jersey. :] best of luck to Chelsea this year.

PIzzarro came in the 65 min and it was clear he wasnt match fit but it is reasonable because he just joined the club on Tuesday so he had one day with the club. Come the game against Man U on Aug 5 he should be fresh and ready to go. but from the game you can tell wat Pizzarro can bring to the club and it was nice seeing him on the pitch. This is gonna be interesting on wat 11 Mourinho is gonna put in , Diarra came in for Johnson, personally i think DIarra is our best RB for the league but with games against Man U , i gotta pick Ferrera and his knowledge and his ability to defend Ronaldo , we got the only LB in A. COle who can contain Ronaldo as well as the RB in Paulo so that says alot on our matchup against the champions . WE drew 1-1 with Feyenoord undefeated in preseason, and thats positive and now LOOKING FOWARD TO THE SUNDAY AFTER AGAINST MAN UTD cant wait.

Ah OK. Just feeling optomistic and confident ol' mate. I'm sure you feel the same. Its gonna be a blinding season dont you think?

Definitely man. Both teams are gonna go all out. I don't believe all the "Chelsea are focused on Europe" stuff. They wanted the Premiership last season, and I'm sure they're gonna have more determination than ever before to get the trophy back in their grasp.

If Chelsea do play the kind of football they did when they first won it, and Manchester United keep their standard it's gonna be one hell of a season! Who knows, Chelsea may be more adventurous than ever before (under Mourinho that is)...let's hope so.

The "big four" have spent £125m on attacking players alone..I'm sure this is going to be the most intense, exciting season in England, perhaps more so than ever before.

Oh it's good to be a fan of English football :D

Surprisngly, I believe Chelsea have spent the least amount of money than any of the big 4, or maybe even 10?

Yeah, not much at all. Man Utd spent the most I think, followed by 'Pool and then Le Arse.

so, Drogba linked with Porto...pure comedy (Y)
to further annoy the anonymous faggot who negged me for this post.

There are too many anonymous faggots in these forums mate.

John Terry has signed a new contract
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/07/27/ufnterry127.xml

Frank next:lui:

nicceeee, Terry gettin a deal done is key and now surely Lamps will now. Rumor has it Real Madrid manager is fond of fellow German Ballack... and quite honestly i wouldnt mind if he leaves. Of course the opinion will change if he starts killin it this yr .

I'd rather he stayed. He's a great player. You just gotta understand that it's harder for players to move to a different league when they've spent so much time in one. They have to overhaul their technique, and when they're set in their ways, it can be hard. I hope that this year would bring with it the comeback of Sheva and Balla.

Amen to that.

Even Claudio Pizarro has said that Ballack told him that he struggled last season at Chelsea. We all know what Ballack AND Sheva are capable of. Talent does not simply dissapear overnight. They, like all new arrivals to the EPL need at least one season to adjust.

Ballack and Sheva wasn't any worse than Kuyt in adapting last season, but the media wasn't interested in going there, they see bigger headlines where Chelsea is concerned, and thats why they picked out 2 of our players over ALL the new arrivals to the EPL last season who failed to over impress.

I have no worries about Ballack or Sheva at all. They could have both walked out by now if they were quitters. It's not as if they are not being tempted either. Milan want Sheva back and Madrid are after Ballack, but both players have declared that they are Chelsea players and will not run away from the challenge ahead.

We know they both have quality so why give a toss if any outsider cares to be so negative towards them. If the critics are not Chelsea fans then why should we care what they think. Fu<k 'em all.

When Sheva finds his feet those same people will just shut up, because in reality thats the last thing they would like to see. His potential just scares the life out of them.

True that man.

More good news Terry has signed a new 5 year deal. Can't wait to see the starting line up against United in the Shield.

And in other news

Rangers 2 Chelsea 0

Didn't even know Chelsea were playing. Can anyone tell me what sort of line-up Chelsea fielded?

Cech
Diarra- Ben-Haim-Tery- Johnson
Cole-Sidwell-Lampard-Malouda
Shevchenko- Drogba

was the starting lineup then Hilario, Carvalho, A.Cole, Wright-Phillips, Mikeyl, Pizzaro and Sinclair came in

And in other news

Rangers 2 Chelsea 0

Not quite as bad as Red Bull Salzburg 1 - Arsenal 0 though is it Tracer. :funny:

Shame you only drop in to gloat though. Did anyone do the same in the Arsenal thread when your lot lost a MEANINGLESS pre season warm up? Nah I don't think anyone bothered. Sometimes you lack class big time mate.
(N)

Clarkey puts it into perspective
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/chelsea/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=soccer/07/07/28/SOCCER_Chelsea_Quotes.html&TEAMHD=chelsea

Not quite as bad as Red Bull Salzburg 1 - Arsenal 0 though is it Tracer. :funny:

Shame you only drop in to gloat though. Did anyone do the same in the Arsenal thread when your lot lost a MEANINGLESS pre season warm up? Nah I don't think anyone bothered. Sometimes you lack class big time mate.
(N)

Clarkey puts it into perspective
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/chelsea/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=soccer/07/07/28/SOCCER_Chelsea_Quotes.html&TEAMHD=chelsea

Where did I gloat ? I was only giving a result. Man your paranoid. :read:

Cech
Diarra- Ben-Haim-Tery- Johnson
Cole-Sidwell-Lampard-Malouda
Shevchenko- Drogba

was the starting lineup then Hilario, Carvalho, A.Cole, Wright-Phillips, Mikeyl, Pizzaro and Sinclair came in

Cheers buddy. (Y)

How did the new boys do?

lol dont know i didnt watch the game i jsut looked up the match report haha

Mourinho rejected Zidane, Ronaldinho for Chelsea
tribalfooball.com - July 28, 2007

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho turned down Roman Abramovich's offer to buy him the world's top four players.

The startling revelation is made in a new book written by Mourinho's close friend Luis Lourenco, with the full endorsement of the Chelsea boss, says the News of the World.

It recalls an amazing early conversation between the owner and manager and offers a stunning insight into a relationship that grew more and more strained.

Abramovich said: "Now that I'm here I'm going to buy Ronaldinho. Would you like that?"

Mourinho replied with one word: "No."

The startled Blues owner then said: "I'll buy you Zinedine Zidane."

Once again the answer was a simple "No".

"David Beckham?" - "No."

Abramovich's patience began to weaken: "OK, here's a name you can't refuse. Tomorrow, for you, I'll make my big friend Andriy Shevchenko a Chelsea player."

Mourinho replied: "No, no and no."

An exasperated Abramovich told his new manager: "But you don't understand, Mr Mourinho. I'm talking about buying the biggest stars in world football."

To which Mourinho replied: "No, it's you who doesn't understand, Mr Abramovich. You only need one star at Chelsea - me."

The book, titled "Leadership - The Lessons of Mourinho", received the full co-operation of the Chelsea boss, who also wrote an introduction for it in.

In it, he says: "I hope that those who speak or make an opinion about me can now do so with a new basis."

I came across this interesting article which caught my eye, I usually don't read anything News of the World or Tribal football write. :corn:

Where did I gloat ? I was only giving a result. Man your paranoid. :read:

You can't kid me you wind up sod....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Anyway you caught me at a weak moment and I took a big bite at your post. Your timing was perfect so thats 1 point to you I guess.:funny:

Cheers buddy. (Y)

How did the new boys do?

TBH all the guys did fine. Towards the end Chelsea were knackered though. An expected result of playing jet lagged games I suppose.

Sidwell was amazing. Def M.O.M for me. Terry did well considering he has not trained for three days and still has a broken toe. Ben-Haim played everywhere and until his tiredness showed was fantastic too.

We controlled the game without a doubt, but Rangers were sharp and well ahead of us in their pre season program which gave them an edge in the final 15 minutes of the match. By that time the Chelsea defence were out on their feet, and couldn't protect Hilario in goal (nice of Jose to give him a game), so it was no surprise that we conceeded when we did.

Valuable lessons were learned about the new guys though, and thats the point really about pre season. It's about assessment and fitness. To play against a team like Rangers gave the new lads a good run out and a taste of what to expect in the EPL.

TBH all the guys did fine. Towards the end Chelsea were knackered though. An expected result of playing jet lagged games I suppose.

Sidwell was amazing. Def M.O.M for me. Terry did well considering he has not trained for three days and still has a broken toe. Ben-Haim played everywhere and until his tiredness showed was fantastic too.

We controlled the game without a doubt, but Rangers were sharp and well ahead of us in their pre season program which gave them an edge in the final 15 minutes of the match. By that time the Chelsea defence were out on their feet, and couldn't protect Hilario in goal (nice of Jose to give him a game), so it was no surprise that we conceeded when we did.

Valuable lessons were learned about the new guys though, and thats the point really about pre season. It's about assessment and fitness. To play against a team like Rangers gave the new lads a good run out and a taste of what to expect in the EPL.

Thanks for the round up mate.

Oh, and that story that Didy posted.. "Now that I'm here I'm going to buy Ronaldinho. Would you like that?" :funny:

hahahahahahaha...."you only need one star......and that is me". That is so Jose.:mexican:

I can see Jose has probably made Roman lose his rag once or twice along the way. I shouldn't think that would be too hard for Jose. The guy is pretty unique:)

Why didn't he offer him Romario?

But in all seriousness, had Roman offered other players, Jose might've agreed. But he didn't really offer anyone who would fit all too well with Chelsea's scheme.

Barcelona midfielder Deco has revealed he would like to work with Jose Mourinho again.

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=479504&CPID=8&clid=8&lid=2&title=Deco+admits+Blues+attraction&channel=football_home&

Well he is certainly a wonderful player. We all know that, but if he brings his theatrics into the EPL, every fan in the Premiership will slaughter the guy. Me included.

If he can leave all that behind him then Deco would be a great asset to any team he played for. I would love him at Chelsea but the pussy playacting puts me off him big time.

agreed, I wish they would introduce video replays, would put a end to it all. Worked with rugby, although I understand thats a diffrent type of game, but still, most sports change rules when new technology's come out to better it.

These comments about it slowing down the flow of the game cant be any where as bad as watching a player roll around on the floor for half and hour. And when they realizes they cant get away with it, surely it would stop? They should do a test somewhere.

Surprised somewhere like America hasnt tried it.

I really wouldnt fancy a move that would bring Deco here, i just dont think he can cut it in the prem, especially with all the theatrics. Im a fan oF Queresma tho, dude can cause problems

So how does English media report on the Alex situation? Dutch media suddenly report there's still a (small) chance Alex will stay at PSV. Even Koeman said he'd love Alex back at PSV. I can't see it happening, but it would be the best ''transfer'' imaginable for us.

Not much at the minute Cody, not much at all.

So how does English media report on the Alex situation? Dutch media suddenly report there's still a (small) chance Alex will stay at PSV. Even Koeman said he'd love Alex back at PSV. I can't see it happening, but it would be the best ''transfer'' imaginable for us.

Well Alex flew into Heathrow this week to meet up with Chelsea to discuss terms. Usually that would be something you would do at a very advanced stage of a transfer.

Chelsea have indeed applied for a work permit for him so if that is a success, then Alex will definately be moving to Chelsea this summer.

FINALLY, ALEX has been granted his work permit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/6274174.stm


very good news, loved him ever since he joined PSV , glad to see him on our squad. I think Alves is the only one left ...

I think Malouda will be great for our team, I saw him in the World Cup and was fantastic, he is a warrior, very smart too.

I really don't want Alves. I mean it'd be helpful to get a proper RB because Ferreira can't perform that well for some reason (I think he's broken) but we need someone who's better at the defending part of RB as well. Alves is great for going forward but his actual defending isn't anything special. I still think we should've made an offer for Phillip Lahm, he's better at going up and defending and he can play on both flanks.

And what the hell is with these Deco reports. I'd rather have Deco than Steve Sidwell in the cm (Sidwell's a decent player and is gonna be good with us but Deco is way better) but adding another central midfielder would cause so many problems. Maybe looking for a defensive midfielder for next year though would be a good idea unless Essien takes over that role completely or Ballack can play their.

And what's with all these guys going around with sigs of chicks

With the Community Shield on Sunday, I put this video up on youtube. Enjoy.

19eqMziRxqY

With the Community Shield on Sunday, I put this video up on youtube. Enjoy.

19eqMziRxqY

I don't quite see you beating United that easily :p

This was just done for entertainment, not for a challenge purposes.

I really don't want Alves. I mean it'd be helpful to get a proper RB because Ferreira can't perform that well for some reason (I think he's broken) but we need someone who's better at the defending part of RB as well. Alves is great for going forward but his actual defending isn't anything special. I still think we should've made an offer for Phillip Lahm, he's better at going up and defending and he can play on both flanks.

And what the hell is with these Deco reports. I'd rather have Deco than Steve Sidwell in the cm (Sidwell's a decent player and is gonna be good with us but Deco is way better) but adding another central midfielder would cause so many problems. Maybe looking for a defensive midfielder for next year though would be a good idea unless Essien takes over that role completely or Ballack can play their.

Alves is actually better at defending than you think. He really does play touchline to touchline, and because he's such a beast, he can pop up in the box, then catch and break up the counter attack going the other way. I've watched him a lot this past season, and really, Seville's right side was a tough go for any left winger.

Will be a good game for sure, i'm quite open to whom may win this, lets hope its nothing like our last boring game. Looking forward to seeing the new united players. need to go buy a new kit for the game :D been looking forward to this one :D

I really don't want Alves. I mean it'd be helpful to get a proper RB because Ferreira can't perform that well for some reason (I think he's broken) but we need someone who's better at the defending part of RB as well. Alves is great for going forward but his actual defending isn't anything special. I still think we should've made an offer for Phillip Lahm, he's better at going up and defending and he can play on both flanks.

And what the hell is with these Deco reports. I'd rather have Deco than Steve Sidwell in the cm (Sidwell's a decent player and is gonna be good with us but Deco is way better) but adding another central midfielder would cause so many problems. Maybe looking for a defensive midfielder for next year though would be a good idea unless Essien takes over that role completely or Ballack can play their.
Are you for real? I don't think you've seen much of Alaves. Ferera is good but Alaves is one of the best right backs in the business right now.

Are you for real? I don't think you've seen much of Alaves. Ferera is good but Alaves is one of the best right backs in the business right now.

Alaves is a Spanish club...with a very eccentric owner.

Spanish reports are saying Real Madrid have signed Robben AND Ballack. Can't remember the fee...I think it was 40m euros. :S

This was just done for entertainment, not for a challenge purposes.

Oh..I had no idea :rolleyes:

Spanish reports are saying Real Madrid have signed Robben AND Ballack. Can't remember the fee...I think it was 40m euros. :S



Oh..I had no idea :rolleyes:
We havent signed anything yet. Nothing is official, but the source this time wasnt Marca or AS, so it could be true. 40 mil for both. The yes-word of Roman will be decisive. I must say that if its true, then Chelsea will laugh the sh*t out of us. Malouda who is nr.1 (apparently) was 21 mil and Robben (2nd choice) is way more expensive! I say Chelsea, because I dont think the fans will appreciate the fact that Robben will/could be sold. Dont know if they care about Ballack who wasnt good last season, although he is normally a phenomenal player.

40 million Euros for both players is nowhere near enough. Thats if Chelsea would even consider letting either of them go, which they are not. Madrid can dream on. We dont need the money so why do we need to sell?

Madrids tactics in the transfer market leave a lot to be desired lately. For a club of their stature, you would expect them to act with a little more class.

40 million Euros for both players is nowhere near enough. Thats if Chelsea would even consider letting either of them go, which they are not. Madrid can dream on. We dont need the money so why do we need to sell?

Madrids tactics in the transfer market leave a lot to be desired lately. For a club of their stature, you would expect them to act with a little more class.
They might not want Ballack leave, but Robben is almost a done deal. He doesnt want to sign the contract and wants to move to Real. Chelsea have set an asking price of 36 mil euros and if Real match that offer then he will leave. And the money they get from Real will be used to get Dani Alves so they need it. I agree with you that the negotiating of Real leaves alot to desire. And you also have to understand that this Ballack-Robben for 40 mil might be just another rumour. Real havent confirmed anything. Atm they only need Robben. The addition of Ballack to the story might just be BS.

It says 27 million pounds combined for Ballack and Robben. That's pretty ridiculous considering the money they've paid for other guys. Robben himself should cost them at least 20 million pounds and Ballack is easily worth more than 15 million.

To be honest, you can't count on Robben being fit all season. He habitually has long lay offs due to injuries. He has never completed a full season for us since we've had him. When fit he's a good player although he steers away from tackles too much for a forward player for my liking.

His attitude is questionable too sometimes. He sulks a lot and thinks that he is more important to Chelsea than he actually is. The term "prima-donna" suits him very well. Maybe he thinks that Madrid treats prima-donna's better than we do.

Loyalty does not seem to be one of his strongest principles either, so if he thinks he's going to be treated better at Madrid then good luck to him. I know it sounds crazy but considering how little he has contributed to Chelsea over the last 2 seasons, we will hardly miss him. We are used to not having him available all the time now, although it's nice to see him come on during a game .

As for needing the money from the Robben "sale" to buy Alves. That's just not the case. We are hardley short of money are we? Contrary to anything reported in the media, Roman has publicly stated that his wallet is always open if any player is needed by Jose. We do not NEED to sell players so we can buy.

I can see Chelsea make Robben see out his contract to be honest. In the light of the earlier "tapping up" of Robben by Madrid, Chelsea are just gonna be obstinate and refuse to let him go there. He won't be the first player that Jose has left to sulk on the bench all season and I shouldn't think he'll be the last either.

Then again, all this talk could be a pile of crap and he will sign a new deal. So, end of story.

Madrids tactics in the transfer market leave a lot to be desired lately. For a club of their stature, you would expect them to act with a little more class.

Or intelligence aswell.

Yup.

Ballack issues a statement today pledging his future to Chelsea......
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=374027

and on the Chelsea website.

Nice to see him put this one to bed. Shame Robben doesn't see fit to do the same.

We're playing the Desailly XI on Wednesday, is that the senior team or some old Chelsea team or something?

Terry out a month

I thought they would but the football thing still hasn't learned one thing, NEVER believe Chelsea and media reports

anyways, it's a confusing world but I get the feeling that this Alex deal is 99% done now?

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=372146

I thought they finalized the deal (unfortunately) a few days ago. Don't understand why that Chelsea bloke says that.

Yeah that is odd. Even Jose said yesterday that it is good to have Alex in the squad, and said that he is a wonderful addition.

Terry only out for a week is the latest news on JT.

Chelsea have told Arjen Robben that if he wants to move to Real Madrid, then he will have to hand in a transfer request. It seems that dear ol' Arjen has so far, not formally requested a transfer because by doing that, he will have to forfeit a loyalty bonus (Loyalty????)thats due to him soon of 2 million quid. So to move to Madrid, he will have to give up on ever seeing this bonus.

http://www.goal.com/en-india/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=377362

The last two paragraphsare probably crap.

The more I find out about this bloke, the less I like him. I'll be glad when he takes his attitude and his over inflated ego elsewhere. We haven't missed Gallas and we aint gonna miss this whinging little prick either.

19 goals ins 104 appearences is hardly the stuff of legends is it.

Yeah that is odd. Even Jose said yesterday that it is good to have Alex in the squad, and said that he is a wonderful addition.

Terry only out for a week is the latest news on JT.

Chelsea have told Arjen Robben that if he wants to move to Real Madrid, then he will have to hand in a transfer request. It seems that dear ol' Arjen has so far, not formally requested a transfer because by doing that, he will have to forfeit a loyalty bonus (Loyalty????)thats due to him soon of 2 million quid. So to move to Madrid, he will have to give up on ever seeing this bonus.

http://www.goal.com/en-india/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=377362

The last two paragraphsare probably crap.

The more I find out about this bloke, the less I like him. I'll be glad when he takes his attitude and his over inflated ego elsewhere. We haven't missed Gallas and we aint gonna miss this whinging little prick either.

19 goals ins 104 appearences is hardly the stuff of legends is it.

Please let him go to Madrid, where he will be an injury-prone diving disappointment for them.....

Yah but to be honest, it's still good to have him. We have Malouda but we're gonna need another winger and attacker if we have the same sort of injury problems. He can play on the right too when SWP or Cole gets injured. Robben does well when he gets a series of games under his belt, problem is that he never does but this season if he sticks around he'll have a big breakthrough.

Yeah that is odd. Even Jose said yesterday that it is good to have Alex in the squad, and said that he is a wonderful addition.

Terry only out for a week is the latest news on JT.

Chelsea have told Arjen Robben that if he wants to move to Real Madrid, then he will have to hand in a transfer request. It seems that dear ol' Arjen has so far, not formally requested a transfer because by doing that, he will have to forfeit a loyalty bonus (Loyalty????)thats due to him soon of 2 million quid. So to move to Madrid, he will have to give up on ever seeing this bonus.

http://www.goal.com/en-india/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=377362

The last two paragraphsare probably crap.

The more I find out about this bloke, the less I like him. I'll be glad when he takes his attitude and his over inflated ego elsewhere. We haven't missed Gallas and we aint gonna miss this whinging little prick either.

19 goals ins 104 appearences is hardly the stuff of legends is it.
Yeah, always when a player is about to leave then he s*cks! When he scores a goal, then its ARJEN ROBBBBBBENNNNN!!! WHAT A GOAL! Bla bla, come on! Face it, Robben has enormous talent! And I understand the guy, because they get Malouda to replace him in the starting XI! Why would a guy like Robben stay and be benched for the 2 years remaining on his contract?! He would be a complete idiot if he agrees with that! In Madrid he has the possibility to play every week, because they dont have someone who can play as a real left winger. Robinho played there last year and did superb, but he will play on the right this year, so Robben will have his spot! Drenthe also signed, but he is for the depth. I assume that he wont play very much. So Robben would do himself and Chelsea good to leave. He would get a 100% starting spot and Chelsea will get ALOT of money for someone they arent gonna use much.

I did not and would not critisize Robbens talent. I did NOT say anywhere that he "sucks". I do question his class where his personality is concerned though.

The thing is, if he is so great, then why does the arrival of Malouda worry him so much that he wants out? I'll tell you why mate, because he knows that Malouda will not jump away from defenders and bottle it when it matters. Robben knows that for attitude and work ethic, Malouda towers over him. So if Robben aint prepared to fight for his place then he obviously has not got what it takes to be a Chelsea player.

Bear in mind also that last season, some of the injuries that Robben complained of, were viewed as "odd" by Chelsea MD's. The feeling was that he was faking it. The more I find out about Robben the more I dislike him. Dont forget, its only when a player wants out of a club that past stories about the player seem to surface. That is why you assumed that my comments were sour grapes I suppose, which they were not.

Alex is a Chelsea player.
http://www.itv-football.co.uk/story/0,19239,6145_2654698,00.html

I did not and would not critisize Robbens talent. I did NOT say anywhere that he "sucks". I do question his class where his personality is concerned though.

The thing is, if he is so great, then why does the arrival of Malouda worry him so much that he wants out? I'll tell you why mate, because he knows that Malouda will not jump away from defenders and bottle it when it matters. Robben knows that for attitude and work ethic, Malouda towers over him. So if Robben aint prepared to fight for his place then he obviously has not got what it takes to be a Chelsea player.

Bear in mind also that last season, some of the injuries that Robben complained of, were viewed as "odd" by Chelsea MD's. The feeling was that he was faking it. The more I find out about Robben the more I dislike him. Dont forget, its only when a player wants out of a club that past stories about the player seem to surface. That is why you assumed that my comments were sour grapes I suppose, which they were not.

Alex is a Chelsea player.
http://www.itv-football.co.uk/story/0,19239,6145_2654698,00.html
Ok fair enough mate. I really never was a big fan of Robben too. I hate his diving, but still I think that he can change that. I guess you're right about the rest.

Christ! Birmingham's keeper is absolutely terrible :funny: That's twice he's pushed two bread and butter shots into the net.

Chelsea are looking a lot more entertaining though. I like the look of Malouda (Y)

Yeahhhh Malouda is lookin niceee, VERY effective. Kalou was also fantastic, great debut for Pizzarro ....but i gotta say Glen Johnson wasnt to convincing he lost his man several times , i rather have Diarra out thier than Johnson, but i guess we all want Alves over all of them lol . But it was a very entertaining chelsea side , im lovin it. Cant forget that we have now gone 64 home league matches without defeat, eclipsing Liverpool's previous top-flight record of 63, which Bob Paisley's team set between 1978 and 1980. yeezzzir

well how bout this, 1st game of the season and Utd drop points. Im thinkin this is how Reading will play us next week ... maybe

Reading will be a very tough team to beat, so I am expecting a very good match between these two teams.

I see that Hunt (the <unt), tried to kill Van der Sar today, just like he did to Cech. I don't mind playing a physical team but this Reading side are just thugs.

What a great game Chelsea played today. 4-4-2 and attack, attack, attack. How Brum scored 2 goals is a mystery to me because they were poor. Mind you, their second goal was a screamer. Lovely goals by our lads. I thought Pizarro was CLASS. Very slick player indeed. Sweep was M.O.M. and he deserved it. Just shows how a formation like 4-4-2 can bring out the best in some players. Malouda was awesome too. We missed JT as always but the guys did an OK job without him, although with him in there I doubt that they would have got their first goal.

All in all a great day. 3 points for us and 1 point for United. So it begins.....

that performance against Man U was a very disciplined performances, Coppell's got them really organized , but Man U passing wasnt convincing either and Hanemen was fantastic, thank you Reading. Cant wait for Wed , i dont think Reading will be as fortunate if they play the same way against us like they jsut did with Man U.

I hope Hunt gets tackled two studded style , this guys gotta be taught a lesson

Well the thing is Dip, I would think that Reading team would have run themselves into the ground today, so hopefully by Wednesday they will still feel somewhat weary.

You are right, they are well organised though. Against stronger opposition they just try to stop the other team scoring. They do that very well. Everyone knows how Reading play and it's up to the opposing manager to find a way through them. I still think that they deliberately take out certain players on purpose though. They crocked Rooney today. Who will they crock from Chelsea on Wednesday?

Ferguson went about playing them all wrong today. He seems to think that Man U can win by playing the same way in every game. He surprised me today, I thought he was better than that. Maybe he is just too arrogant these days to give any credit to any other team.

Asides from that, he's a good player but Sidwell was their teams' spine. And I don't know how they've held on to Lita but anyways. I still think Man U are overrated from just one good season. When I think about it, we were the best club in the world the last three seasons, or maybe Barcelona. Ronaldo still has his form but I don't expect Giggs to be as effetive and the new signings shouldn't make a huge difference asides from maybe Tevez.

And even if Terry had been their, that Kapo goal would still go in, it's one of those amazing strikes you just can't do anything about.

Oh and Barca's sporting director is telling Gudjohnsen that staying wouldn't be the best decision because he'll get limited playing oppurtunities so he's been shown the door pretty much. Still wish we had him rather than Pizarro but it'd be nice to see him back in the Prem, he'd go perfect with a club like Reading.

Well the thing is Dip, I would think that Reading team would have run themselves into the ground today, so hopefully by Wednesday they will still feel somewhat weary.

You are right, they are well organised though. Against stronger opposition they just try to stop the other team scoring. They do that very well. Everyone knows how Reading play and it's up to the opposing manager to find a way through them. I still think that they deliberately take out certain players on purpose though. They crocked Rooney today. Who will they crock from Chelsea on Wednesday?

Ferguson went about playing them all wrong today. He seems to think that Man U can win by playing the same way in every game. He surprised me today, I thought he was better than that. Maybe he is just too arrogant these days to give any credit to any other team
That's rubbish. Man Utd had their chaces and failed to put them away. Had the lads been a bit sharper the score would have been 2-0 or 3-0. It just didn't happen for United today - it wouldn't have mattered what Fergie did, the finishing was ****e.

Ferguson went about playing them all wrong today. He seems to think that Man U can win by playing the same way in every game. He surprised me today, I thought he was better than that. Maybe he is just too arrogant these days to give any credit to any other team.

73% to 27% possession and 24 to 3 shots, common pete, how much better can you go on about the game?

That's rubbish. Man Utd had their chaces and failed to put them away. Had the lads been a bit sharper the score would have been 2-0 or 3-0. It just didn't happen for United today - it wouldn't have mattered what Fergie did, the finishing was ****e.

Yeah the finishing was bad indeed, plus the Reading GK played a blinder. I just thought Fergie might have been a little more cagey when dealing with Reading. We all know that they are gonna park the bus, but it just looked to me that Fergie just didn't have a clue how to break throgh that. It's not always possible of course, we know that, butI did expect to see a tactical change when it was obvious what Reading were up to.

To be fair though, once Rooney went off, Man U had nobody who was gonna physically scare Reading. Thats why they took him out. I think if Tevez would have been available, he might have made the difference.

73% to 27% possession and 24 to 3 shots, common pete, how much better can you go on about the game?

Man, when you play Reading they allow you to have maximum possession. Those numbers are meaningless. They reflect exactly what Reading expected today. All they are interested in is stopping you from scoring and that's it.

Yeah the finishing was bad indeed, plus the Reading GK played a blinder. I just thought Fergie might have been a little more cagey when dealing with Reading. We all know that they are gonna park the bus, but it just looked to me that Fergie just didn't have a clue how to break throgh that. It's not always possible of course, we know that, butI did expect to see a tactical change when it was obvious what Reading were up to.

To be fair though, once Rooney went off, Man U had nobody who was gonna physically scare Reading. Thats why they took him out. I think if Tevez would have been available, he might have made the difference.

I don't think they took him out of the game on purpose. The defender (Duberry?) looked like he was focused on the ball, but I could be wrong.

Yea, but nobody goes into a game with a plan to have 27% possession and get outshot by 8 times. My point is that if Reading's game plan was so great, then why did they jeopardise it so much? Or they just like to gamble everytime and let teams take shots hoping they luck won't be on their side.

Possession stat might not be as important, but you just can't allow 24 shots and hope that none of them go in.

To be fair though, once Rooney went off, Man U had nobody who was gonna physically scare Reading. Thats why they took him out.

You keep saying that but the injury was an accident. Duberry stood on him on the way down. Accidental.

Very harsh on Hunt aswell, he nudged VDS to delay it long enough for him to get back into position. What the hell was going through Kitson's head I'll never know. Total rush of blood.

Anyway, a little comment about Chelsea. Malouda looked very, very good today. Pizzaro should help to chip in with quite a few goals. The right back position could prove a problem for them. I'd like to see them maybe put A Cole or Bridge there and see how it goes. A more attacking style from Chelsea, and i liked it.

If Reading play the same way as they did today, they'll lose. They're bound to be knackered. They can't rely on the GK to save the day twice in a row.

Well, maybe I'm just still pissed off at Reading because of last season. All I know is that they either intend to take players out on purpose if the opportunity arises, or they are the clumsiest players in the EPL. I still go with the former personally.

It really does grate on you though when your team give it everything, and the opposition go out with the intention of soaking it up for 90 minutes. I appreciate that a team like Reading cannot compete individually with players from the likes of Man U and Chelsea for instance, but to play against their negative football is very frustrating and does nothing to contribute towards a good spectacle. I can understand why they do it, but I still don't like it.

If teams were awarded points for endeavour, persistence and possession, Man U would have walked away with all 3 points today, because they did deserve it.

I'd prefer to play against the Birminghams of this world any day. At least they came to Stamford Bridge and gave us a game.

Well, maybe I'm just still pissed off at Reading because of last season. All I know is that they either intend to take players out on purpose if the opportunity arises, or they are the clumsiest players in the EPL. I still go with the former personally.

It really does grate on you though when your team give it everything, and the opposition go out with the intention of soaking it up for 90 minutes. I appreciate that a team like Reading cannot compete individually with players from the likes of Man U and Chelsea for instance, but to play against their negative football is very frustrating and does nothing to contribute towards a good spectacle. I can understand why they do it, but I still don't like it.

If teams were awarded points for endeavour, persistence and possession, Man U would have walked away with all 3 points today, because they did deserve it.

I'd prefer to play against the Birminghams of this world any day. At least they came to Stamford Bridge and gave us a game.
Yeah, Birmingham looked very good I thought. They'll definitely stay up.

If Reading play like they did today, Chelsea will batter them. Chelsea looked great today, they played some fabulous stuff. Long may it continue. (The football, not the results :p )

during some periods of the game i was very impressed with the quality of chelsea's game
hadn't seen them play so well since 2 seasons ago
mourinho promised a more atractive football and that's exactly what happened

the new players played well, especially malouda.
johnson is not good enough to be a starter. hope ferreira recovers soon
alex will surely be useful and now chelsea's defence is complete i don't think chelsea needs d.alves, but if he cames he'll be an asset
if robben is sold, chelsea needs a new winger. simão would be perfect but atletico has already taken him.

slowsilver i completely disagree with you
i think birmingham's game was poor, was lots of defensive errors. unless they improve i don't think they stay up

bad news for us, Essien is injured, Mourinho - "It was something in the knee ligament," Mourinho said. "He (Essien) was limping and the doctor was saying he was in pain."



Hopefully its just a bad bruise

Sidwell might get an early oppurtunity then *woot*

Hey, we broke the 'without losing at home' games record from Liverpool.

yea, 64 games! Can you say a fortress?

Ajax just accepted a 27 mill Euro bid for Sneijder from Real Madrid. :) If the player agrees, then Ballack is staying at Chelsea, and Arjen is too knowing Real's motives for signing big name players rather than players they need.

yep , Madrid are also lookin to sign Van Der Vaart from hamburg, and this is dude is most effective in Robbens position, that left side. This should make Robben think even more.

I think this puts Robben in a very awkward position now. He still has not handed in a transfer request, so as far as Chelsea are concerned he wasn't going anywhere anyway. He won't be Jose's favourite player at the moment so it will be interesting to see what Jose does with him. Robben will just have to knuckle down and do the job he gets paid to do I guess. Although after watching Malouda today and with Joe Cole soon to return, I would think that Robben is pretty much surplus to requirement. We are well sorted on the left side of the pitch, with or without him.

Ballack never was going anywhere either. Just a lot of hot air from Madrid with no substance.

yep , Madrid are also lookin to sign Van Der Vaart from hamburg, and this is dude is most effective in Robbens position, that left side. This should make Robben think even more.
Nah Rafael vd Vaart isnt most effective in Robbens position. He even never played there. At Ajax he played as an ACM. With HSV he does the same. And with the Dutch NT he plays sometimes as an ACM, or (when he and Sneijder play) as a Right Winger. So I can assure you that the Robben transfer wouldnt be in danger if vd Vaart came ;)

are you sure? .... hes played on left side many times, when he began at Ajax he started on the left side and took over Witocsk( w/e his name )for the starting spot.

I beliebe he played on the right or centre. Anyway, Dani Alves is practically leaving Sevilla. They won't be playing him vs. AEK, and he has said his goodbyes. Reports are saying Real Madrid have signed him, but he has constasntly said that he wants to go to Chelsea, so I hope he signed for us. With him, it would make a very bulletproof team.

Pede, with all due respect, you've been praising Robben for forever, and now you've been playing him down. It's understandable, but at least wait until his transfer or lack thereof is assured, or you will regret your comments.

Anyway, I hope Robben stays, because I can see this working wonders. SWP, Malouda, Robben, Cole all fighting for those places, doing their best, as long as none of them start begging for transfers and playing ****e, it can make us a force to be reckoned with.

I'm liking the transfers so far, good players who can still improve, and will be competing for places with the starting 11. Let's hope for less injuries and for a nice, entertaining campaign. I bet we get the title back.

Pede, with all due respect, you've been praising Robben for forever, and now you've been playing him down. It's understandable, but at least wait until his transfer or lack thereof is assured, or you will regret your comments.


I have always and WILL always praise Robben for his talent. My comments are in regard to his character, due to the massive dissrespect he has decided to treat Chelsea with. I've always known he was a "prima donna" and that he thinks the sun shines from his arse, but his behaviour lately shows immense disregard for my club and for all of us fans. He behaves like a little s.h.it and does not deserve a club like Chelsea.

Let him publicly declare his love for the club, combined with an apology to the fans and perhaps I might chill a little over him. He will always be a <unt in my eyes though.

I understand that players like to move around in their careers, I have no problem with that, but there is a right way to do it. At the moment Robben is showing about as much class as Gallas did, and that just won't do for me mate.

Had he not been linked with another club, you would not be saying this, that's all I'm saying. Frankly, I haven't seen HIM ask for a transfer or anything, I still think he's great, and wish him to stay.

Sorry I amended my last post before I read this reply. See my last comments on the previous page to see what I mean.....AND the reason he has not requested a transfer is simply because, if he did that then he would relinquish a £2 million "loyalty" bonus from Chelsea. If Chelsea sell him without him handing in a request, then he still gets the money.

He wants the money and the transfer. He wants to stiff Chelsea for 2 million quid for loyalty before he goes???? That to me is something a greedy <unt would do. That is why Jose refuses to sell him. IF he hands in a request, he loses the money and that is the only time that Chelsea will consider dealing with Madrid or any other club.

Oh and Real Madrid are so stupid for a big club. Honestly signing two Dutch players in the same position when they don't need them. I know that they've improved their defence but it's still weak and could use the money the attack line is getting.

They do need at least one. Sneijder can play many positions anyway, and Drenthe is more for the future. They do not need Robben nor Ballack, though.

Obviusly you are ignoring Real Madrid doesnt have any single player to play as L/R Winger. And you are ignoring actually Real Madrid only have 2 ofensive midfielders: Guti and Drenthe, so Sneijder it will help Guti.

Real Madrid needed at least 2,3 midfielders since we lost Reyes and Beckham, so we signed Drenthe + Sneijder, and i hope to add Robben there.

You got Baptista back for Reyes, and they both play roughly the same positions, and you got Drenthe and Sneijder to cover Beckham. You don't NEED Robben, you want him. You have sufficient quality players and backup for them, you can play your formation with worldclass players, and, if you want, you can change your formation to include more of those players.

Anyway, please discuss this in the Real Madrid thread, because it has little to do with Chelsea.

On topic, Alves seems to be getting closer and closer. Can anyone tell me the formation used vs. Brimingham? Not the players, buit the actual formation.

Had he not been linked with another club, you would not be saying this, that's all I'm saying. Frankly, I haven't seen HIM ask for a transfer or anything, I still think he's great, and wish him to stay.

I tried telling myself that with Heinze :(

Robben will go where his father tells him to go. Shame. Great talent, and good company for the physio.

Oh and Real Madrid are so stupid for a big club. Honestly signing two Dutch players in the same position when they don't need them. I know that they've improved their defence but it's still weak and could use the money the attack line is getting.

And play boring football like some team we know?;) No thanks! We have plenty of silverware to be very ambitious with "beautiful" football. As Real Madrid fans we are used to the show as well. We now have 2 quality players per position and rotation is key when competing in 3 tournaments...not to mention injuries + Drenthe can play LB as well. It's not such abad move to get drenthe as i first thought. Our defense I'm happy with. Ramos, Torres, Cannavaro, Pepe, Metzelder are all quality imo...then we have Marcelo who has huge potential and as I mentioned, Drenthe. Schusters plans will work but it'll take time. we have a new coach, staff, tactics and players. anyonne expecting us to win the CL this season is a bit crazy. This is a long term project we have going with all of our young inexperienced players. We need patience and not worry too much about our wins for a bit. It;s the ebb and flow of football. by the way, what's the deal w/ robben? why is chelsea being d!cks? Everyone knows robben wants madrid...lets just get it over with

You got Baptista back for Reyes, and they both play roughly the same positions, and you got Drenthe and Sneijder to cover Beckham. You don't NEED Robben, you want him. You have sufficient quality players and backup for them, you can play your formation with worldclass players, and, if you want, you can change your formation to include more of those players.

Anyway, please discuss this in the Real Madrid thread, because it has little to do with Chelsea.

On topic, Alves seems to be getting closer and closer. Can anyone tell me the formation used vs. Brimingham? Not the players, buit the actual formation.

Actually right now we only have Drenthe as a LW ( Robinho will be our RW ), so we actually do need a LW like Robben. Baptista can't play on the wing like Reyes did....Baptista only played well when he played as a AMC/SS but still his game has not improved which is why no one really wants to get him.

treble41 - The 2 Dutch players dont play the same position, Sneijder is a CM/AMC and Drenthe is a winger.

You got Baptista back for Reyes, and they both play roughly the same positions, and you got Drenthe and Sneijder to cover Beckham. You don't NEED Robben, you want him. You have sufficient quality players and backup for them, you can play your formation with worldclass players, and, if you want, you can change your formation to include more of those players.

Anyway, please discuss this in the Real Madrid thread, because it has little to do with Chelsea.

On topic, Alves seems to be getting closer and closer. Can anyone tell me the formation used vs. Brimingham? Not the players, buit the actual formation.

wrong...with reyes not wanted by scuster, we needed to find a natural LW...hence robben. Balboa. although he can play both wings, showed against sevilla that he isn't good enough for big games against big teams. by the way, we are depending on higuain and robinho on the rw and they are not natural rw's so technically we needed rw and lw players not more defenders. P.S- I know reyes won la liga for us but throughout the whole season his game was subpar and he lacks workrate at times, imo. I pefer robben much more...I just hope he cuts down on his diving

You got Baptista back for Reyes, and they both play roughly the same positions, and you got Drenthe and Sneijder to cover Beckham. You don't NEED Robben, you want him. You have sufficient quality players and backup for them, you can play your formation with worldclass players, and, if you want, you can change your formation to include more of those players.

Anyway, please discuss this in the Real Madrid thread, because it has little to do with Chelsea.

On topic, Alves seems to be getting closer and closer. Can anyone tell me the formation used vs. Brimingham? Not the players, buit the actual formation.

In Spanish forums we talk every day about what Real Madrid need right now, knowing Schuster will use 2 wingers. We need wingers! Robben is much more needed than any other player, much more than Alves, Kaka, Cesc, etc.

Alright, I see that even mentioning a team here causes a raid. Please take this to the R.Madrid thread. People come to this thread to read about Chelsea, reading through a page of R.Madrid stuff isn't really appreciated.

By the way, what's the deal w/ robben? why is chelsea being d!cks? Everyone knows robben wants madrid...lets just get it over with

As I said earlier mate.....

He wants the money and the transfer. He wants to stiff Chelsea for 2 million quid for loyalty before he goes???? That to me is something a greedy <unt would do. That is why Jose refuses to sell him. IF he hands in a request, he loses the money and that is the only time that Chelsea will consider dealing with Madrid or any other club.

And as Azrael said.....this is the Chelsea thread fellas......:)

if robben really wanted to play for madrid, he would have turned in a transfer request ages ago...
either way we are going to pay more 28m for him... why not just get it over with.

It's official, Dani Alves is going to Chelsea :(. 32 million euros and possibly another 4 depending on how chelsea does (objectives). I guess it was inevitable, but I still feel crushed. That guy was half of our team.

If you weren't already aware, you've signed a hell of a player. Phenomenal technique, magestic crosses, and after 90 minutes of running he doesn't even look tired.

It's official, Dani Alves is going to Chelsea :(. 32 million euros and possibly another 4 depending on how chelsea does (objectives). I guess it was inevitable, but I still feel crushed. That guy was half of our team.

If you weren't already aware, you've signed a hell of a player. Phenomenal technique, magestic crosses, and after 90 minutes of running he doesn't even look tired.
I thought it was 36 mil and possibly another 4. Well, either way, Chelsea got one of the best RBs in the world ffs. Damn, fantastic player. And now that that deal is done, the Robben case is gonna be finished later tonight or tomorrow early. Win-win situation ;)
Congratz with ur signing guys. (I guess Sevilla will go after Cicinho now)

Marca reported 36 million originally, but it's definitely 32 plus 4 objective. I don't understand since we supposedly turned down an offer for 35 million.

Hammy, one of the best? Name an RB who is better.

i'd rate Sagnol too, also Phillip Lahm, who now plays as a RB

Name an RB who is better.
Gary Neville :D

(H) Like I said, best RB in the world.

Even the best RB in the world is not worth 32 mil so quit being devasted and enjoy the millions.

Miguel!!

Great to have Alves. He is exactly what we need, and I don't see any need in changing the team whatsoever now that we have him, no departuves or signings. This team can win anything.

Robben will be Leaving^

I hope not. And, a. He hasn't requested a transfer. b. Chelsea don't want him to leave. c. The spanish media are the ones pulling on this thing, and from personal experience, the spanish media suck.