iceman

RM official store. Robinho revenge? 

Chelsea release yellow 2018/19 away kit but Gary Cahill deleted from unveiling picture on social media
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/6824172/chelsea-yellow-away-kit-social-media-deleted-gary-cahill-picture/amp/

Chelsea U18 - Brighton U18 13-0
well done. and sell them up
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea-under18s-smash-13-goals-past-brighton-days-after-sealing-premier-league-title-a3470266.html
 

Looks like a pyjama with Chelsea badge sewed on.

Legend!

Happy Birthday!

Well, I'm glad its finally over. I was heading to Star Wars movie and was shocked by the news. I was strangely sad by the news, by now I have hope for a batter future.

I was never happy when Mourinho returned. I was convinced he was not what the club needed back in 2013 and was convinced the club was making a huge step back bringing back a manager that was sacked in 2007. Mourinho was not the manager needed at the time. The squad was 100% unMourinho. I always believed the club had to move away from Mourinho's shadow. I thought that winning PL in 2010 breaking goal record and winning UCL in 2012 was enough to the club create its own legend, but then one year later Mourinho came back, and I remember in one of his first interviews he more or less said he had something to do with the success the club had even after he left. Many in England always saw Chelsea success as Mourinho's success, and in my opinion that was not a good thing for the club to be associated as an institute that relies in one messianic character.
I've been a big critic of Mourinho since I realized huge problems in his methods and ideas back in 2013, and I remember in this forum many saw those opinions as some kind of heresy.
2012/2013 season it clear Mourinho MkII was pretty limited in terms of tactics. When he arrived instead of using the best he had at his disposal, he just decided the team would be playing a 4-2-3-1, because "it was the ideal system". We saw Juan Mata asked to play as a stupid winger, then soon he became an useless player. After some bad results, he dropped Luiz and Cole, and tried a quick fix, the infamous notsoworldclass back four: Azpi, Cahill, Terry, Ivanovic. Guys, come on, 12/13 season we had 4 CB fighting for the 2 places: Luiz, Ivanovic, Cahill and Terry. Under Mourinho, Ivanovic became a untouchable RB (I can't even remember a single game where he played as a CB), Luiz was called useless, and became a DM, and then Cahill and Terry, both who were 3rd and 4th choices for past 2 seasons, became the untouchable ones and Mourinho were praising both game after game. There was a talk about back four being amazing, but this talk is absurd, actually the team was way too conservative, so its easy to concede few goals when a player like William was playing as a second full back for most part of the game, instead of trying to create chances and score goals. The team ended the season with a pretty average RB playing out of positions, as a LB...
Despite those problems, the team had pretty solid games, and Mourinho really showed he was still special, and I can remember some great matches, like both matches against Liverpool and that solid away victory against City. To other side, I realized Mourinho's ways hasn't changed during UCL semi-finals against Atlético. They were during a special season, but Jose's tactics during first game were pathetic at best. The team refused to play football. Atletico was a team that was solid, but they were not a possession based team, but the team parked the bus during 90 minutes. In the 2nd leg Simeone showed Mourinho how its done.
I had few expectations for 2014/15 season, and I was not happy when I realized the likes of David Luiz, Lukaku, KDB and Juan Mata left, and the team was buying a Barcelona reject in Fabregas as he was any kind of big deal. Costa and Luis were great additions, though. Its really hard to explain how Chelsea won the league during that season, because despite the press using the word "impressive" to call the team performances, they were lackluster for most part of the season, with the team relying too much on individual brilliance from players like Hazard. Low point of the season was UCL clash against PSG. The french side overplayed Mourinho's team all over the field even if they were down to 10 men. I understood there that Mourinho was the exactly manager he was years before, but now pretty outdated, a man whose fear of losing is bigger than the desire to win. There was a reason why despite being stronger than Liverpool, Chelsea failed to beat them in 2 UCL semi-finals, but managed to do that in the same opportunity without Mourinho.
14/15 season was really shocking, because Jose kept the same back four, and even Felipe Luis was relegated to a squad player role, and left after one single season, despinte being considered when of the best in the world in that position. It was even more shocking when I realized the team was starting 15/16 season with the same back four, that was insanity. The quality of this squad has deteriorated season after season since Jose Special One Mourinho returned. His market moves were pathetic, and typical Mourinho moves. In his first tenure, he bought Jarosik in winter market in 2005 only to sell him months later. Next year he bought Maniche in 2006 winter market, only to sell him before the start of 07/08 season. Salah and Cuadrado?

But I do believe this post is getting too long, I've been vocal on problems in Mourinho's tactics and methods for the past 2 years, so no use in keep singing the game song, all I can say is that sacking Mourinho was spot on and the right thing to do. He getting the axe for a 2nd time means he won't manage Chelsea ever again, so its time to finally move on from this subject and discuss the future. The saddest part is that a squad who looked exciting in 2013 now is no more than a broken team that lack depth and dynamism.

Allow me to ruin the Star Wars universe for you:
http://i.imgur.com/rd5jhzV.gifv

happy old reds.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-truJmVxUZSo/T_yCDeyDX2I/AAAAAAAAA7Y/VJxFUUBubms/s1600/untitled.bmp

Honestly - I don't think anybody can be happy at our position
If I felt that people were deliberately happy that we were failing - I would call them out
But these are posters I have read over 4 years +
We have had good times and bad times but I have never questioned their loyalty to the team.
I wish with every molecule - that Jose would do the simple things right and change his approach - but he is not and does not look like doing it - he's getting worse.
That is the reason I don't want him here. Not because I hate Chelsea - but because I'm sick and tired of hearing about him! Chelsea is bigger than him. If he's not 'man' enough or doesn't have big enough 'balls' to change - then he's not the person I thought he was.
It's like splitting up with your girlfriend - you suddenly realise that in the cold hard light of day - they are actually fucking idiots.

On R 5 last night - ''I want to return to Chelsea one day, thats for sure''

Here are the highlights of that interview:
SPOONY: I'm used to calling the top man at a football club 'the manager', but you're head coach at Real Madrid. Do you like being a manager or do you prefer to be called coach?
MOURINHO: In my relationship with my players I had everything. I had the traditional Portuguese 'Mr', I had 'the guv', I had 'the boss', 'coach' and 'Jose'.

SPOONY: Which is your favourite?
MOURINHO: You know, 'the guv' was the one I took. I think it was Damien Duff, the first one to call me that, and I took a few weeks to understand the dimension. What matters for me is that it remains forever. Even today Frank Lampard and John Terry call me 'boss' and I'm not the boss anymore.
SPOONY: When we see you on the touchline or in a press conference, it would very much appear that those things don't matter to you. But sitting here speaking to you now, you hold these things very dear and close to you.
MOURINHO: These are the things that matter for me. I read a book from one of the most important coaches in the history of university sports, John Wooden, a basketball coach at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), and one of the things he says is that the most important thing in all of this is 'the man'. The human relation. The best coach is the one who puts in everything.
SPOONY: Is winning everything?
MOURINHO: No, winning is not everything. But winning is more important than any one of us. Sometimes you have the feeling during the match that a player cannot improve, and you can read the situation - he didn't start well, but he has the conditions to finish well - but sometimes you feel immediately the team started bad, the players are bad, and you have to make some changes.
If the result goes completely against you, you have to take some decisions and some risks and everyone's afraid of that.
SPOONY: You hold Sir Alex Ferguson in very high regard?


Sir Alex on Mourinho in 2009


"I got on very well with him at Chelsea and I think it was a loss to the game when he went. I actually enjoyed watching him on the television. I thought he was good. He was cocky and confident but it was good for the game. Right away he came in and said, 'I'm the Special One', and we all thought, 'Who is this?' and his team thought, 'We'd better win here'. He came to Chelsea and made that declaration himself. Don't forget he was self-anointed. People then sat up but his achievements are there to be recognised."
MOURINHO: Of course. My first contact with him was not one to forget because Porto beat Manchester United in the Champions League. After the match he was knocking on our dressing room door with Gary Neville, and they wanted to congratulate our dressing room.
So that was a moment when I understood that when the win is deserved, you have to respect the winners and you have to know to enjoy a little bit the happiness of the others.
It happened with Bayern Munich last season when we (Real Madrid) lost the semi-final on penalties, and at the end of the match it was not a drama for me.
I was also in their dressing room. I remember that day of Porto-Man United, and it was the start of my relationship with the greatest manager of British football.
SPOONY: Would you go back to Chelsea?
MOURINHO: I will go where people really want me. But I have to repeat always this: I'm with Real Madrid, I very much want to be, I have a new contract, I'm not thinking about leaving.
The day I leave is when I want to go. But yes, I want to go back one day, that's for sure.
SPOONY: People always say Barcelona are the greatest club side that we've ever seen in this generation, yet Real Madrid won La Liga. You must be proud?
MOURINHO: We won, and we won with nine points difference. They didn't win, and they didn't win because they had a bad season, because sometimes big teams have a bad season where they lose points.
They had 91 points, and with 91 points you are the champion of every Liga. The point is, Real Madrid had 100 points. We beat every record in the league in Spain and so we won because we were tremendous, because we've had an incredible season.
SPOONY: What drives you? What keeps you so motivated?
MOURINHO: The club above everything. When I go to a club, I wear the shirt, I feel the shirt like my first one or my last one, I feel the fans as part of myself, I create internal links with fans.
I become immediately one of them, and I feel that I am one of them with a privileged position to fight for the club and to try to bring to all of them happiness.
SPOONY: Is this what happens when there's a potential problem between yourself and an owner, in that they don't always see it from the fans' point of view?
MOURINHO: You go through my career since day one until now and I've never had problems with clubs and owners.
At Chelsea, I didn't want to stay and let things go into a direction where we were all feeling it was not the best direction.
We felt that was the best decision, because in this moment we are friends. There are no problems between me and Roman (Abramovich, Chelsea owner).


Mourinho's trophy haul

Porto (2002-04): Primera Liga (2003, 2004), Champions League (2004), Uefa Cup (2003), Portuguese Cup (2003), Portuguese Super Cup (2003).
Chelsea (2004-07): Premier League (2005, 2006), FA Cup (2007), League Cup (2005, 2007), Community Shield (2005).
Inter (2008-10): Serie A (2009, 2010), Champions League (2010), Coppa Italia (2010), Italian Super Cup (2008).
Real Madrid (2010 to date): La Liga (2012), Copa del Rey (2011).
When people know me they understand that if sometimes I'm not an easy person to work with it's because I fight for my people, for the best conditions for the players and I fight for the club and I fight for the fans, and I become a fan.
SPOONY: Sir Bobby Robson is a national treasure in the UK and you were his right-hand man. How much did you learn from him?
MOURINHO: I was lucky. I was lucky because he took me in when I was really young. I spent something like five years with Sir Bobby, and of course he was very important for me.
But again, if you ask me to say the most important things with Sir Bobby and why did I learn a lot, I keep the person. I forget everything about football and I keep the person.
SPOONY: You've signed a new contract until 2016 at Real Madrid, but the accusation in the past is that you're just about winning trophies, and not bothered about young players coming through. So what is your master plan for Real Madrid?
MOURINHO: You know, first of all the challenge was to come here and to win, and to stop that domination of Barcelona in the Spanish league. We did it, and I could say 'job done', but we want not to win in an isolated way - we want to keep winning.
Real Madrid was the biggest club of the last century because of results, and we want Real Madrid to go in the same direction in the 21st century.
SPOONY: And just before I let you go, do you see yourself one day managing an international side? Would you manage an international side that wasn't Portugal?
MOURINHO: In this moment I don't see it because it's a completely different kind of job. In the club we play 60 matches a season, in an international team we play maybe 10, so it's a job I don't want to have in this moment.
But it's a job that makes people full of pride, especially if you do it with your own country, and I will do it with Portugal because I think Portuguese people wouldn't understand if I do it with another country. I don't imagine myself in the World Cup playing against Portugal.
SPOONY: Managing England against Portugal in the semi-finals
MOURINHO: It would be dramatic

Kulsay lake, the Tien Shan, Kazakhstan

http://talksport.com/football/tottenham-v-arsenal-league-cup-spurs-fan-cuts-gunners-shirt-while-singing-amy-winehouse

What about Sterling punching someone last season - nothing happens
Aguero stamp - nothing happened
That's what fucks me off - the inconsistency
Matic getting red - Barnes tackle getting nothing or retrospectively
It's just complete bullshit
If the media get behind it the FA fold like cheap whores finding a bag of coke...
Angers me!
I demand consistency

Matthew ‏@Madderrssss 24 hrs24 hours agoSo my brother bumped into Diego Costa today. At Paulton's Park. In the store in the Peppa Pig section. Jealous.

This is Diego.

If people dont like the way he plays theres an off button on that square thing next to your armchair that says off.
He gives me the type of excitement and enthusiasm I yearn for when I go to watch them.
Gabriel shouldn't haveb stuck his nose in and tried yet again to get Costa sent off. Big girls blouse. I suppose he should get a 6 match ban for this too eh