OhForAGreavsie

Link broken. Who did you have in mind?

How is Andreas doing?

That's an honest difference of opinion, which is fair enough. I've never said that Nemanja is a pub player, just one with some deficiencies in key attributes we need. I've always said that when circumstances are in his favour Nemanja can pick a pass as well as most professionals. His issues are exposed when the set up is not in his favour; when the ball is on his right foot, when his body shape isn't right, when he needs to manipulate the ball to make an angle, when he needs poise to buy time while his teammate makes the run. Those are the times, which is to say almost all of the time, when elite players get to demonstrate their quality, but Nemanja is not elite. I do not believe that Nemanja was crucial to the whole of the last title campaign. He was a key player for most of the first half, but was way off pace for most of the post-Christmas section. It's only opinion of course but, if you check the post game comments in the match day threads from that period, you will see some evidence which supports my point of view on this. I agree that Nemanja is unlikely to accept the role of squad player.

Lol! That's exactly it. Antonio sees the same match day action we do, plus a lot more that we don't. In the end however he still has to pick a side, and pick it from among the existing squad. We know the last thing he's going to do is talk publicly about how poor his squad is and how much he wishes he didn't have to select some of them. We know too that the side he picks is the one he considers is right. What we can't know is what he thinks, no matter how much each of us wants to imagine Antonio believes the same things we do. Even so, I'd be shocked if he didn't wish we'd been able to strengthen in January and if he isn't determined to do so in the summer.

I had done an earlier post, or perhaps posts, in which I had observed that N'Golo's passing was not outstanding and that, combined with the fear that we were stuck with Matic as one part of a then routine 3 man midfield, Kante was not at all what I felt we needed. As an expert in my posts you will know that I consistently argue that we need an excellent continuity player with energy in that role. The opportunity to turn defence into forward momentum does not occur every time a CM gets the ball. The ability to take those opportunities when they crop up, or at least to do so an above average number of times, is therefore an entry level requirement for a CM with a competitive Champions League team. I stressed again and again that just by improving our fluidity in possession, such a player would also automatically improve us defensively.* As I posted many times to say, Badelj was my favoured candidate back in the summer. The change of shape has changed my mind about whether Badelj remains suitable. I'd always pick him in a three, but would hesitate in a two. Repeating the potential names is not necessary to the point I was making. Which is, that Nemanja is not, in my opinion, the solution under any circumstances. I repeatedly stated this view last season and was challenged by someone, perhaps you - I can't remember, to name just one player from anywhere in the world who was better than Nemanja. My response was that I could name at least a dozen** just in the Premier League. I believed it then, and I believe it now. For me, Nemaja's limitations are a real handbrake on this team. *This is pretty much the same argument I used to explain why I was so pleased when Marcos began to be linked and why I felt that people were wrong to blame our defenders alone for our poor defence last season. **I may have said more than a dozen, can't remember. If I did it would still have been true.

Diagnosis precedes cure but in any case there are many posts of mine in which I mention options I would like. More selective twaddle.

Hopefully they don't. It's better for us if they go through. :-)

Which nevertheless predates your jibe by more than eight months.I assume you are not claiming that you have never changed your mind about a player? I certainly have. When Eden began to be linked I watched Lille a few times but caught him in one of his "low form" periods that we have since become accustomed to. I posted the opinion that he was clearly talented but that he wasn't producing anything very effective. Someone whose opinion I respect suggested that I should stick with it however. I did that and eventually saw a stunning display, after which I revised my view. My change of mind about N'Golo came the first time I saw him live but that is not the case with Nemanja. I didn't like him when he was linked, I didn't like him during his first spell, I was pleased with his contribution during the first few months after his return, but we have been watching him for two seasons now. There is no room to make new discoveries about Nemanja. He is what he is and his limitations are a problem. As I've said before, I'll be surprised and very disappointed if he is still starting for us after September 2nd.

Selective twaddle. You've ignored the post, following Leicester's visit to Stamford Bridge last season, in which I said that I had changed my mind. In any case, I'll gladly agree to a comparison of my player assessments versus yours.

Exactly. Secondly, Monaco's early elimination would make it at least slightly more likely that their top players will be prepared to leave, thereby improving our chances if we hope to sign any of them. Thirdly, more coefficient points for Manchester City can only help to protect England's four Champions League places. For clubs which hope to be regular participants in that competition, four places are better than three. For all those reasons I was surprised to read posts from people who were actively wanting City to lose last night.

This is no news of course. The implied threat to leave is always present during contract negotiations. If we can agree terms with Diego, then good. If not, let's try to find someone else and move on.

I totally disagree with this. I am not convinced that Nemanja makes a particularly strong defensive contribution, but whatever he offers in that regard is completely negated by his limitations when we are in possession. Whatever quality of player we add further up the pitch, we will always be held back by a CM who is unable to add positive momentum to our play owing to a combination of chronic one-footedness, lack of technical quality, poor body control and inability to carry the ball. Up to a dozen times every game Nemanja goes backwards when a better player would take us forward. This sometimes means lost opportunities, and sometimes costs goals. Clearly Antonio sees Nemanja as his best option currently. We urgently need to give the manager better ones.

Andreas has made it clear that he's only interested in coming back as a starter. He won't willingly accept the role of back up to anyone. If he is not assured a place in the first XI, or if he loses that place, he will certainly push for a move. Who wants an unhappy player in their squad?

Am I the only one who is seeing that damn annoying "Arsenal Forward" banner all over my screen when using the forum? I assume it it's appearing as an ad. Could someone please kill it if at all possible.

How do you know he doesn't see it? Or put it another way, how would you know if he did? Do you need him to hang a sign round his neck, or hold up a banner in the dugout?

OK, one more to put it to bed.

Now stop the suicidal crap at the back City. Well for this competition anyway. :-)

When we want them to lose the fact that they can't defend is a blessing. On a night when we need them to win however, it's too bad to even be funny.

Welcome to the crowd. Everybody in Europe likes this lad.

Monaco are a great side, with a lot of good footballers, but that doesn't change the fact that it's better for us if City progress.

It's better for us in every way if City go through.

I don't think the Cup game vs. United has been scheduled yet but we need to be reasonable here. A few seasons ago Spurs played an away fixture in the Europa League on a Thursday then came to Stamford Bridge for a lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League less than 48 hours later. They put in a world class standard of whining about it but the game went ahead. If the United match is listed for the Saturday they'll just have to get on with it. If, however, it is to played on the Sunday, or even the Monday, then that's not unreasonable. We just have to win the game whenever it happens. I don't know how the telly coverage will breakdown for round six but I'd guess it'll be two matches for BT and two for BBC. I think BBC will want either Chelsea v Man U or Arsenal v Lincoln but BT will get first pick. Whichever game the Beeb get will go in their Monday night slot for sure.

What a useless, waste of space video. It tells us absolutely nothing about the player. The video is over four minutes long yet, in total, we see fewer than a dozen touches from the young man. Half of these touches occur in the last piece of action featured, and one of them is pretty loose. The video serves no purpose but to make the viewer suspect that it is designed to hide something. The editor of the video might argue that it was not created to give an overall impression of the player, but merely to show the goals he scored. If that is so then why waste screen time on the lad celebrating his goals? Strip out celebrations and replays, and that video would be no more than 12 to 15 seconds long.

Every individual can decide to support, or to follow, whichever club they choose and do so for whatever reason they want. They can express that decision in whichever way they like and they'll get no criticism from me. I would however be very, very critical of this club if it was to share your point of view. I love Chelsea football club. I could not feel any other way even if I wanted to, but the attitude it has displayed throughout its history, an attitude which charges coaches and players with the duty to make maximum effort in every competition we enter, is something which makes me very proud. I have never felt it was my right to claim to be a better Chelsea fan than anyone else, or to prescribe for others what is the correct, or the incorrect, way to be a fan. Clearly I do not have that right, but I wouldn't use it even if I did. I must say however that I would take a very great deal less pride in my club if it shared your point of view about the Football Association Challenge Cup. Fortunately, for me anyway, I think the club sees the FA cup differently to the way you do. I expect Antonio to demonstrate that difference by fielding a full strength side and insisting that the players give everything in pursuit of victory against Manchester United in round six.

Duplicate - see post below