OhForAGreavsie

Not sure how extensive the highlights you saw were. Hopefully they gave a fair impression of the game. I thought that, over the ninety, Ruben's display qualified as great but that Callum's didn't. Ruben had a very good first half but was quieter in the second, whereas Callum's second half was better than his first. Don't think he managed as big an impact as Ruben did this time though. I'd say Callum was solid with some highlights, rather than great

Kenyon originally said that Roman's plan was for the transfer to happen in 'ten years'. I can't see how he could have meant that literally but I've long believed that Arkadiy is involved in transfer decisions. In that first summer of heady spending, Bruce Buck made what could have been taken as a throwaway comment but which I think gave a good clue about the owner. Bruce, in an effort to talk Roman up, stated that the owner had a huge database and an encyclopaedic knowledge of players. He claimed that no matter who you mentioned from around the world, Roman could tell you something about that player. Roman certainly had the money to employ people to put together such a database if he wished, but why would he have bothered? The database was obviously Football Manager and a strong knowledge of its contents must mean that Roman enjoyed the game and spent some time playing it. How many of us could have resisted the temptation to play the game for real if we had the dosh? Not me, that's for sure. Also, why not bond with your lad and play your favourite game together? Complete guesswork I accept, but I do think Arkadiy is involved. One thing which I will never be persuaded to accept, outside of absolute evidence, is the notion that Marina plays any part whatsoever in selecting transfer targets. Giving an opinion on how much can be afforded as a recruitment cost, for sure; making a football decision on player x is better for the squad than player y, never in a million years. As for the stadium, we have been prisoners of our location and of the granite like conservatism of football fans. The best thing for the club was, and still is, a move away from Stamford Bridge but the range of options for that move is too small to allow any suitable site to be found. If we fans were more far-sighted the club may be able to widen the search and find that elusive site. CFC's inability to get this done is something our successors as Blues' fans may well live to regret in coming decades.

That, according to Peter Kenyon, is what Roman said would eventually happen when he bought the club in 2003.

We don't know what the club is, or isn't, offering Callum though do we?

To be fair to the club, every former manager, bar one, has said he suffered no interference with team selection. The sole exception was Bobby Di Matteo who accidently let slip at a presser that he was not able to select Daniel Sturridge in the weeks leading up to his move to Liverpool. I put that exception down to special circumstances and reckon that the club has often sacked managers but has never picked their teams.

I was up until 3:45am this morning so watched the game. Interesting comments relating to Christian. The commentary team mentioned his lack of game time but excused it by reminding us all that he's only twenty. Then, in the studio, Glen Hoddle was bemoaning the fact that, at eighteen, Callum should be getting more minutes, particularly at times when the result is still on the line. Seems consistency is something we only talk about in relation to pasta sauce these days. Also, Hargreaves was on pundit duty. Among a lot else, he said there is not a chance that Christian is as good as Callum.

Incidentally, Hargreaves doesn't rate Christian much.

Missed, or passed?

Never one to pass up the chance to see something bad happen to Tottenham, I'm watching their game in Germany. I confess I tuned in mainly hoping to watch Christian but the game is going well so far. By that I mean of course that Dortmund are doing well. If Spurs concede sometime soon at the Westfalenstadion they'll be in big trouble.

I don't have any respect for fifa, although I disrespect them just a little less since the crook was booted out. I don't believe however that fifa are stupid enough, or brave enough if you prefer, to impose a ban before the appeal has been heard. Given the multiple millions involved, how are fifa going to compensate Chelsea if they have already suffered a banning period, despite the punishment eventually being overturned? Granted, fifa is loaded but the people in charge are also greedy freeloading types who would hate to have to cutback and use mere 5 Star hotels because their organisation had to pay out a shed load of cash to The Blues. Even if the executives are 100% certain that the judgement will stand, I just don't think their lawyers would allow them to take that risk.

Can't blame you. That's a logical outlook, but I bought a ticket a long time ago and the T's & C's make it clear that there are no refunds.

The club coach for the quarter-final trip to Durham, on Sunday 17th March, leaves Stanford Bridge at 4:30am! Guess I'm the only one here who'll be on it. Still room for more the last time I checked.

Still, and always, standing for the special one.

Don't ask me for evidence, I don't have any, but my reading of the runes is that Roma were used by Barca and Malcolm's representatives as a stalking horse for their move.

Is this bloke that good? Maybe I need to watch him more seriously than I have done so far because I haven't seen it yet. Don't know what Palace would want for him but, if we're bidding I doubt they quote anything less than £40m. It'll take one hell of a salesman to persuade me that he's worth forty million quid more than Reece James.

When they were both in France, he and Fekir were often linked to us. My view was that I'd much prefer Malcolm of the two. I also believe that he, not Willian, was Barca's principle target for that position in summer 2018. People have pointed out that they're loaded with talent but, even so, I'd be surprised if they were prepared to give up on Malcolm so quickly.

To be fair, the lot around me were a bit less negative than usual.

I don't really approve of that type of song. Except when it's about Tottenham Hotspur. Isn't the world a lovely place the morning after a victory over Spurs the night before?

How do you know who their stadium is going to be full of? You speak as if it's already been in use. As for the stadium itself, looks pretty decent to me. Certainly better than Stamford Bridge.

Well that's blown the writer's credibility then.

It's a fair point. In fact the first time I offered this opinion a few years ago, I thought that was the best argument given against it. It came from a poster, on another Chelsea forum, with the screen name Droy Was My Hero. Not you is it?

I hope not. I like Steve a lot and can see why he'd be regarded as a safe pair of hands even though he has said previously that he thinks assistant manager is the role for him. So it's nothing against Steve when I say that I don't want to see him appointed. I'm not ready to give up on Maurizio. I want the club to try to ride out the rough patch with him remaining in charge. Let's break the short termism cycle.

The fiasco assessment is possibly premature. It may turn out that the fiasco is at fifa's end. The FA have said that they will appeal, and that they believe there is something wrong with fifa's process. That's a statement of the obvious. No. Either club and governing body are both in breach of regulations, or both are not. My money is on not.

There is a fundamental problem with the system. Major employers recruit graduates, they don't necessarily train them. I've written previously that I don't believe the current academy system will survive beyond the next twenty years, if it lasts that long.

I don't believe for one moment that this will stick. Remember, that fifa are both judge and jury in these cases. As I said in a post a month or so ago, we can't judge this until the process comes to an end and that the end would not be when fifa issued its initial verdict. Chances are that we have two more stages to go before this is settled.