OhForAGreavsie

When the situation demands/permits both Gaz and Azpi play really high. Say within 10 metres of the opposition area. For me this has been one of, if not the most, impressive features of Antonio's system. Dave in particular has come up with some really threatening deliveries from that area. A left footed CB, or at least one comfortable with his left peg, would multiply the threat we pose in those situations.

Half? You are a generous man.

It's been happening for a long time. The reason is simple; bottom club Sunderland earned roughly double from TV last season (including parachute payments) what Real earned for winning the CL. In fact it was probably more like two-and-a-half times. Our top clubs seldom attract the elite talent so mid-ranking, or lower, Premier League clubs know they have no chance. For them it's not the glamour of Barca & Bayern, it's the hard cold world of midwinter Monday matches, That's where their bread is buttered. It's simply more important for our clubs to out compete Bournemouth and Brighton than to dream of 102,000 at the Camp Nou. They pay elite fees and wages for sub-elite players so they can keep their place around Richard Scudamore's feeding bowl.

The thing is, I know you know most of these stories are put out there by agents acting for player or selling club, yet you let yourself react to them. Hold it together man, we've got to get you through the summer in one piece. Somehow.

It's a brand new relationship so it would be natural for both parties to do everything they can to get it off to a good start. A new signing or two can only help to boost shirt sales figures. Perhaps Chelsea even have hopes of cracking the numbers required to trigger bonus payments from Nike, while they know there is no possibility of a bonus from Adidas at this late stage. If so, makes sense to delay the 'advert' of the new signings, until the new product is actually available.

Hello BCS, What a great word. Did you coin it, or have you heard in use before? I want to read this word in the press, I want to hear it on Match of the day, I want it to enter the football language reference book just like parking the bus has. I want this word to make you famous.

Roman is not Stan Kroenke. The thrill of the game, the glory of the victorious campaigns; that's what he's in it for. Kroenke can only drag himself to The FA Cup Final because it happens to coincide with a board meeting*; our owner gets himself down to Cobham at the crack of dawn on winter mornings to watch our youth team train. Not even play mind you, train. I repeat, if the club is restricting spending then they are doing it for a good reason. Or at least one which seems good to them. *Well maybe he set the board meeting deliberately to coincide with the final, I don't know, but you take my point.

Of course. It's Nemanja's inability to deliver that which makes upgrading in the position he plays priority number one in this window. The difference made by a player who is effective in these aspects of the game is beyond huge.

Lost ambition, I don't believe for one moment. If, I say if, the club is intentionally restricting its transfer spend, it will be for reasons other than lack of ambition.

The difference between Antonio and you in this regard is that he knows what is happening so he is spared the temptation to imagine the worst. What's more he knows why things are progressing as they are. Again, no need for guesswork. People with information don't get frustrated as quickly as those without it.

Fantasy. A nice one, but a fantasy all the same. We always missed out on plenty of players.

And also why he's been linked no doubt. The agent who 'leaked' the story may very well be working for Porto.

Is this another Italian passport job, or would any move for this kid need to be delayed until he's 18?

Tammy is quoted by The Mail today as saying, “I’m not sure what I’m doing next season, if I’m coming back, going elsewhere on loan or staying at Chelsea". Seems reasonable to guess that the club thinks it sensible to sort out any transfer comings or goings among the strikers before finalising Tammy's next step.

Of course it's not a crime and how did I mock you tw? I just asked a question. Respectfully.

You mean bugging you.

😀There is only one TheWiz. There is also only one 'the wes' but he is 'tw' while his capitalised forum mate is TW.

We don't need spectacular passing from that position. That position is all about continuity. In any case many of the most effective passes are, in themselves, very straightforward ones. I'm repeating myself here but Tottenham Dembele plays simple passes and does not score goals, yet he is the best in the Premier League at his position. His ability to retain the ball under pressure, to get turned after receiving the ball facing his own goal, to skip past a challenge or two when appropriate make him invaluable. As a package, his attributes completely outrank the odd great pass. Such a player turns defence into attack and, in so doing, makes his team more fluid going forward as well as more secure defensively.

Hello tw, May I ask why you prefer to use the word 'are' instead of the word 'our'? Is it a personal thing or does it perhaps reflect a local dialect?

This is a key point. It is tempting to judge a centre forward by counting his goals, but that is not the right method. The CF who makes the greatest overall contribution to his team is the one to go for. Rom can help us. He is certainly a better player than Diego was during the second half of last season. He is not though the man I would choose.

Obviously in this case Chelsea had no choice in where Dom moved on to, but the notion than we should insist a young lad accepts a transfer to a lower level that the one he is capable of gracing, is odd to say the least. We are not running a slave gang. These are people with ambitions and dreams. People who have entrusted Chelsea with the formative years of their careers. If Dom wants to try to breakthrough at Liverpool then good luck to the lad.

Yes, I agree with this. In his younger days, at AZ in particular, Dembele did opperate further forward, but he's found his home in the role he plays for Spurs.

I also like Bakayoko. Indeed, as I said in my first post about Tolisso all those months ago, I really like the quality of player we are being linked with recently. That comment was true then, and is mostly true now.. I remember some seasons when, never mind the players we actually signed, even the ones we were linked with weren't great.

What does reliable even mean in this context? The appetite among football fans for transfer rumours is voracious. The willingness of agents, clubs and players to provide the stories which feed those rumours, for their own purposes of course, is endless. Media outlets therefore have a plentiful supply of material and they know they can make money by giving audiences what they want. In order to achieve "reliability", those outlets would need to filter out the rumours they know to be plants. In a wildly competitive market however they know their audience can get that same rumour somewhere else. Filtering stories therefore has the potential to cost them revenue. When no one really expects the majority of transfer stories to be accurate anyway; when online revenues are so hard to come by; and when they can honestly claim to have a source for a story, then aren't we asking too much of them to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve reliability? In any case, there is often a direct, reciprocal relationship between media and sources. "If I get this obvious plant out there for you, you owe me when you have something real to say. Deal?"

Dembele is a better version of Matic. I consider him to be exactly the player we need. A player who mirrors his attributes is therefore precisely what I'm hoping for. Is that Tolisso? I watched Lyon several times after he was first linked a few months ago. I like him but I have not seen that he is able to retain possession under pressure as well as the Spurs man does. Even so, I would be happy to have Tolisso. He has applicable attributes of his own.