James

Sorry lads still looking at how to fix this.

Wolfsburg are stepping up their ambitious pursuit of Chelsea striker Andre Schurrle with a £23million move. The Bundesliga side have identified the Germany international as a player who can help them guarantee qualification for Champions League football and they want to sign him ahead of interest from struggling Borussia Dortmund, however, Chelsea value him at £30m. The World Cup winner scored for Chelsea against Swansea on Saturday but Jose Mourinho has told him he needs to toughen up if he is to become a regular starter in his title chasing side. Sportsmail revealed that Wolfsburg were lining up a bid earlier this month although sporting director Klaus Allofs insisted: ‘There is nothing to it.’ Schurrle is keen on a return to Germany but is contracted to Chelsea until 2018. He was signed from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 for £18million after Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge from Real Madrid. Wolfsburg are second in the table, nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich who they face on January 30 when the Bundesliga resumes after its winter break. Chelsea also have interest from Roma in Mohamed Salah and held a meeting on Monday to discuss their £1m loan offer with a view to a permanent £11m transfer. Mourinho insisted his squad is too small to cope should they lose Salah and will want to find a replacement for Schurrle too should he be sold. Click here to view the article

The guys at Opta powered fantasy football game www.oulala.com have taken an in-depth statistical look at the midfielder's return to the Premier League. In Chelsea's 5-0 dismantling of Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, midfielder Cesc Fàbregas notched up his fifteenth league assist of the season and became the first player in Premier League history to provide 15 assists in two seasons (2007/08 and 2014/15). Fàbregas' assist for Diego Costa's 20th minute goal put the midfielder just 2 behind his personal best of 17 assists in 2007/08 for Arsenal and just 5 behind Thierry Henry who holds the record of 20 assists in the 2002/03 season. After 22 games in the 02/03 campaign Henry had just 7 assists, less than half what Fàbregas currently has. If the Spaniard continues at the same rate, he is on track to total a remarkable 26 assists by the end of the season, a figure that would blow his ex-teammate's record clear out of the water. The 27-year-old currently sits fifth in the all-time table for Premier League assists on 86 behind Wayne Rooney [93], Frank Lampard [96], Steven Gerrard [100] and Ryan Giggs who holds the overall record with 131. Fàbregas is on course to surpass Giggs' tally by the time he is 31 and break yet another record. In the big five European leagues, the English Premier League, French Ligue 1, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga, the Chelsea midfielder sits top of the tree by some distance in the assist charts this term. His nearest challenger, ex-Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne now at Wolfsburg in Germany, has 10 assists. Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo completes the top European assisting trio with 9. His breathtaking return to English football will not please one man in particular, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Fàbregas spoke of his discussions with the Arsenal coach about a return to his old club last summer and was told that he was not needed by the Frenchman as the position was already covered by Mesut Özil. The German midfielder has only played 7 games this season after suffering a knee injury and is still yet to find his Real Madrid form since he arrived in the Premier League. To further emphasize the mistake that Wenger made in not welcoming Fàbregas back to the Emirates is the fact that the Chelsea midfielder has more assists this season than the combined tally of Arsenal's main creative quartet - Alexis Sánchez [7], Santi Cazorla [4], Aaron Ramsey [2] and Jack Wilshere [1] - a total of 14. Cesc Fàbregas is arguably the best midfielder in the world at the moment based on his stats this season. Has he been the Premier League's Player of the Season so far? Click here to view the article

Just upgraded the server as match days was becoming a problem and when Alex posts an article. So ill up the donation total as well.

Thanks for everything mate and all the hard work you have put in over the last 7 years. Good luck with your life and you know the doors always open for you here. :tophat:

Thank you very much lad.

Happy new year everyone!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hes the special one. The one that sits at the top of the managerial tree. The one that is impossible to read. Full of tricks. Full of mind games. Hes been in the limelight for a decade now, yet we still cant predict what is coming next from Jose Mourinho. Except another win of course. But even off the football pitch we think the 51-year-old would be a winner. A winner on the poker tables. Of course first and foremost because winning is in his nature. Thats what Mourinho does. Hes already running away with the Premier League the 21st title hell add to his collection should the Blues lift the trophy and continually makes his sides almost impossible to beat with his intricate look at opponents play. Which is vital on the green velvet. Over the years Jose has had his way over some of the greats of the game Wenger, Sir Alex, Benitez, Guardiola, and a large part of that has been down to his mind games. Plenty of people in the football world have blasted him, which is essentially what he wants. Roy Keane and Louis van Gaal have commented on him already this season, and drawing emotion out of opponents is a key skill when it comes to playing poker. Six time World Series of Poker champion Daniel Negreanu once said poker is all about playing the man, with the cards being irrelevant. And if one person in football knows about playing the man, its Mourinho. And then theres tactics. Chelsea have yet to lose this season and Mourinhos record against the top four across his two spells with the Blues is impeccable he simply doesnt get beat. He continually sets his team up to get results, it may not be pretty, but effective it cant be denied. There are some vital skills that a poker player needs to have. Understanding poker hands is as essential, whilst knowing your opponent just as the Special One does about every team he plays and how they play those hands leaves half the battle won. Certain players have favourite hands, just as Mourinho knows teams like to set up against Chelsea a certain way, after all he predicted Frank Rijkaards Barcelona team during a press conference back in 2005, so hed have the mark of any opponent he came up against. Then its simply Mourinho playing his hand, and he usually plays a winner. Theres no doubt the Portuguese legend could turn his hand to the likes of poker. In fact its a skill footballers in general are fairly good at. The likes of Teddy Sheringham, Gerard Pique, and former Blues striker Tony Cascarino have had relative success in. So for the Special One it really would be no problem. Click here to view the article

While Didier Drogba's most iconic moment in a Chelsea shirt came as he dispatched the winning penalty in the 2012 European Champions League final, it is in the FA Cup where has made the most dramatic impact. Now back at an all-conquering Chelsea as they look to complete a domestic sweep of trophies, Drogba will be looking to appear in a fifth final and create even more history at Wembley's breathtaking national stadium. Whether he will have the opportunity to achieve this has yet to be seen, but the Ivorian striker clearly has an excellent chance given the Blues' early season form. Drogba and the FA Cup: A Marriage made in Heaven Drogba has already appeared in four FA cup finals for the Blues, winning every single one in 2007, 2009, 2010 and most recently 2012. He has also set an individual record by scoring in every single one of these finals, with three of his four goals securing victory for his side. His final goal in an FA Cup final was the decisive strike in the thrilling 2-1 victory over Liverpool in 2012, as Drogba brought his first spell at Chelsea to a close with a stunning cup and European Champions League double. Drogba's first final goal was also a genuine, FA Cup magic moment as his thunderous late finish after an exquisite one-two with Frank Lampard helped to deny league champions Manchester United their first league and cup double since 1999. Having also scored the only goal in the 2009 victory over Portsmouth and a crucial equaliser after Everton had taken a shock lead the following year, Drogba is firmly established as an FA Cup legend and the forward will be aiming to build on this reputation now that he has returned to England. This Season: Can Drogba Make More History in a Chelsea Shirt? While Chelsea will not enter the FA Cup until the third round in January, bookmakers are already offering odds that they will win the domestic double. This is down to their incredible form so far, as they are unbeaten in all competitions and a staggering seven points clear at the top of the Premier League after just twelve matches. Although Drogba has yet to play a significant role for the Blues this season, he is bound to get more game time as the season progresses and manager Jose Mourinho looks to rotate his large and lavishly gifted squad. This means that Drogba will surely get a chance to shine on the biggest stage, and recreate his former Wembley heroics once again. Click here to view the article

I'll have to look into it, I expect something needs to be changed in the skin after the upgrade.

Like the ideas mate ill look into this if enough people are behind it. I was thinking they could have a little blue lion in front of there name so they stand out, more pm space, even a @talkchelsea.net email address. Also would a monthly or yearly subscription be best?

I've thought about that before giving members extra forum features, its knowing what to offer... and if people would actually keep donating each month.

Recent reports have suggested that Arsenal have agreed 'in principle' to sign Petr Cech from Chelsea. Whether this is simply paper talk or if there is actually some truth in the rumours it's time for every Chelsea fan to question why. Allowing a goalkeeper of Cech's class to leave the club is a worthy concern alone, but to allow him to move to another Premier League team brings it to a whole new level. Let's go back to the start of the season. Cech was on the back of sharing the Premier League's Golden Glove with Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny after both goalkeepers had claimed sixteen clean sheets each in the 2013/14 season. He was also named as the goalkeeper in the PFA's Team of the Year. At thirty-two Cech is in his prime and he can still offer many years at the very top. Mourinho chose to recall Thibaut Courtois from his loan at Atletico Madrid. The young Belgian had been winning rave reviews for his performances in La Liga after helping Atletico to the league title, pushing aside Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid in the process. Not only that, but in the Champions League too, Courtois was a major influence in helping Atletico reach the European final in 2013/14 and his team was just seconds away from the securing trophy before Sergio Ramos equalised in the ninety-third minute for city neighbours Real Madrid.The rest as they say is history. Like Cech, Thibaut's season was also a good one, probably even better. In Courtois' return to Stamford Bridge Mourinho had a decision to make. One of two of the world's best goalkeepers would have to sit on the bench. When favouring Courtois it was clear that Mourinho had his eye on the future, that was pretty obvious and to an extent made perfect sense. However, Cech, as previously mentioned is thirty-two, in his prime and arguably back to his very best pre-Stephen Hunt-gate... Was Cech undroppable? Could Mourinho have allowed Courtois to stay at Atletico a further season? Would that have benefited both clubs? Is allowing Cech to leave the club and potentially move to a Premier League rival a bad move? Opta powered fantasy football game www.oulala.com have taken a firm look at the stats and have answered these questions. A focus on Cech's 2013/14 Premier League game to game form against Courtois' first twelve Premier League games this season. The results suggest that Mourinho has made the wrong decision in dropping Cech and that allowing him to leave Stamford Bridge would be an even bigger mistake. On a per game basis Cech leads almost every important goalkeeping statistic. His clean sheet percentage is higher and is over a larger amount of games, he has conceded less goals per game and has made more saves per game as well as making more saves per goal. The Czech stopper also has better punches and clearances stats in his favour. In fact the only two things that Courtois does lead are catches made and less errors leading to goals made and considering the much lower games played the former isn't really worth its weight until he has completed thirty-four games. Arsene Wenger has never experienced victory over Mourinho but if Arsenal land Petr Cech it is Wenger that will feel like he's won a trophy. With Arsenal's poor start to the season Wenger's fourth place trophy will be a big ask for the club, however maybe he'll soon be dreaming up the 'Petr Cech trophy'... Click here to view the article

Wow mate I didn't expect a donation like that! Thank you so much.

Hi all, Your continued generosity has helped make TalkChelsea the magnificent place it is today, but we once again need your help to keep the site running. As you might know i invested heavily out of my own pocket to move us to an impressive new server over a year ago which runs emphatically on match-days - but if that is to continue then we need a little help from yourselves! Anything - no matter how small - is gratefully accepted Even £2 each month would go a long, long way towards us meeting the hosting fees throughout the year! It's ever so cheeky to have to ask you guys like this, but we have to be absolutely transparent and say that our funds are drying up, and we desperately need some help in keeping the site running as fantastically well as it has been for the last few months! Thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks in advance for any donations - no matter how big or small - you may make as a result. Donating is incredibly easy and all you need is a PayPal account, so please help us keep the site running! Yours very faithfully, Jim and the rest of the staff team.

I think i've fixed the problem.

I don't miss anything bro.

Im still looking to find how to fix it give me time.

Last season's PFA Young Player of the Year award winner is currently fighting it out with Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez as the best performer in the Premier League this season. Hazard also currently sits as the seventh best player in European football. This is not a view from behind rose-tinted glasses but the findings of online fantasy football game www.oulala.com . With a sophisticated Opta sourced scoring matrix, the system takes into account every positive or negative action any player on the field may perform, from shots on or off target to blocks and tackles. The Belgian international is currently one of the top performing players in the Premier League as well as in Europe based on Opta performance statistics. New teammates Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas appear to be stealing the headlines with their goals and assists, which have also put both players firmly on the radar as two of Europe's best with Costa ranked as the ninth best striker in Europe and Fabregas as the fourth best midfielder in the Premier League. However on an overall performance level, taking all actions into account, Hazard is in a league of his own. Hazard's 104 successful head to head battles, 56 successful dribbles and drawing a total of 33 fouls emphasise just how well the winger is performing this season. He has completed the most dribbles of all the players in Europe's top five leagues and been fouled more times than any player in English football. The Belgians best performance so far this season came in the Blues 4-2 home win over Swansea after Hazard won 14 of the 18 head to head duels he faced, completed 9 successful dribbles and assisted 4 shots. In comparing Hazard's stats to fellow wingers Liverpool's Raheem Sterling and ex-Chelsea favourite Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich, widely considered one of the world's best, the results are quite remarkable. Hazard has completed more successful dribbles, missed fewer crosses and drawn more fouls than both players. The Belgian has also put a shift in defensively making more defensive clearances and blocking more shots and crosses than both Sterling and Robben displaying his far superior all round game. Chelsea sit top of the Premier League and four points clear of their nearest challengers Southampton. Hazard's contribution thus far should not be underestimated. If he can continue his fine form then it is very likely that a fifth league title will be heading to Stamford Bridge come May. Stats courtesy of www.oulala.com Click here to view the article

You got the godaddy page come up because they tried to take a payment from me for the renewal of the domain which got rejected.

no you wont even notice.

Also there's a small update taking place this evening.

Fixed this.

Chelsea's red hot start continued in Week 6 with a routine 3-0 victory over a deceptively dangerous Aston Villa side. The match was never in doubt, and represented a strong rebound for the club after a somewhat disappointing draw at Manchester City, when a late goal by Frank Lampard robbed the Blues of what would have been a major road victory. And perhaps most thrilling of all, EPL scoring leader Diego Costa got back in a rhythm with yet another goal (his eighth overall) against Villa. In the bigger picture, taking four points out of back-to-back matches away against Manchester City and home against frequent spoilers Aston Villa amounted to a very strong start to a difficult stretch in the schedule. And whereas a few short weeks ago it was easy to to say that Chelsea supporters ought not to get ahead of themselves, now it's becoming fair to ask: could the Blues run away from the pack in the 2013-14 Premier League? Writing on league betting outlook for Betfair's EPL news section, Luke Moore thinks that could be the case. In a post following Week 6 action, at which point Chelsea is atop the league standings with 16 points, just three ahead of Southampton but well clear of top rivals Man City, Arsenal, and Liverpool. Following the easy victory over Aston Villa, Moore writes that the Blues remain "hot favourites" for the title, with 1.65 odds to win the league - a pretty significant edge this early in the season. For reference, Man City is next best at just 3.65 odds to win the league. But is this edge in the betting outlook based purely on early season success, or is it justifiable looking forward? As mentioned, Chelsea's in the midst of a tough stretch in the schedule, but earning a point at the Etihad arguably takes care of the toughest match on the schedule for the entire season. But the club will need to stay sharp in the coming weeks to maintain its status as a runaway favourite. Next up on October 5 is a crucial Week 7 fixture with Arsenal that the Blues ought to be able to take advantage of. While few will doubt the Gunners' overall quality, the Arsene Wenger's club has been far from consistent as it looks to round into form and integrate newcomers. Chelsea ought to have the advantage this early in the year at Stamford Bridge, making this a great chance to widen the lead against a fellow contender early on. From that point on, Chelsea has a chance to put together a truly stellar 2014 in EPL play. A look at the EPL website shows the Arsenal match followed by away contests with Crystal Palace and Manchester United (who, thus far, are disappointing once more), a home fixture with utterly overmatched QPR, and then a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. Following the Liverpool match on November 8, there are no matches against current top-five clubs remaining in 2014. Add that all up, and it's a tremendous mix of winnable matches and opportunity for a Chelsea team that appears ready to make a statement every time it steps on the field. For whatever reason, Chelsea seems to have made quicker adjustments than other top clubs regarding incoming transfers, and that makes early matches against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal that much more appealing. It's certainly beginning to look like this year's team has a chance not just to establish itself as favourites, but to distance itself considerably from the rest of the pack early on. And if you're too cautious to take our word for it, take Jose Mourinho's! HITC Sport wrote that Mourinho not only agrees with the growing consensus that Chelsea are EPL favourites, but believes the Blues are the best team in the running for the 2014-15 Champions League as well. Click here to view the article