OhForAGreavsie

Quality!

Barring the opening few weeks of the season, they were a better footballing side than we were last season as well. There are two explanations for the extraordinary twenty-three point gap. Jose Mourhino

Come on Pizy, that's ridiculous. Give or take the odd lad, the 19s are the same squad as the 18s. On top of that most of them either start for the 21s or feature fairly regularly in U21 fixtures. All three age groups have been heavily involved in league races, domestic cups and on the European stage. Throw in the fact that pretty much all of them feature for their national sides, and the lads have already faced a physically and emotionally draining season. With two legs of the FA Youth Cup final still to come, I think it's simply asking too much of the lads to turn out against Leicester. No, in all fairness we should rest the 19s for that game and play the Under 16s instead. They've got to learn sometime after all. Now, I know what you're thinking; the 16s have had a tough old season as well and they have the stress of school exams coming up soon. Well, I hear you and I share your natural belief that it's really the Under 15 squad that should handle the Leicester fixture. Problem is, that bunch of spoil sports at the FA have some rule that won't allow that. As I said, ridiculous.

Oh what a fun day that was.

Two more things: - I really like Efan Ekuku as a co-commentator. Does his home work, authoritative, honest and unbiased. Would like to hear more from him in that role. I didn't think the lads would win it. Ahead of the knock out rounds, I thought the semis would be as much as they could manage so well played them and shame on me.

Well done to the lads. It's over and we retain the trophy. In a way this win is more satisfying than last season's. Not in the sense of quality, last year's team was far better but, to be frank, it would have been a disgrace if we had failed to win the tournament last time around because we were clearly the best age group team in Europe then. I don't think that has been the case this time but we got across the line. When you bear in mind the quality we lost from last year's squad it's a real achievement to bring home the prize.

Charlie Wakefield on the last 5. Another youngster I like. He's not flashy but he is effective, particularly on the counter. If we do get any attack going at this stage it will be a counter.

Mason Mount on for Kyle Scott. Good, Mason should have started I think. Although I've seen Kyle have at least one outstanding game, more often than not he seems lacking in possession. Bearing in mind his illness I think he's given his all but Mason's greater surety of touch may help us slow up the waves of PSG attacks a bit. Good stuff Kasey. 2-1.

PSG's equaliser has been coming.

I'm going to get stick for saying this but he reminds me a little of Ledley King. With Fikayo, Jake, Jay, Ola if he stays, and not to mention Andreas, I don't think we need to make any more speculative signings of young defenders. First team ready stars is one thing but no more Matt Miazgas I'd say. Nothing against Matt. I like him but I like that list of names too.

Tell you later. Dental appointment now. One spoiler though. If you were old enough to remember the event, you didn't just 'hear' about it.

I prefer to say that I feel the rivalry very strongly rather than that I dislike them. Liverpool are the only club I think I would say that about. I'm not certain but I think it's a combination of factors, as always. If there were a single thing maybe it's because the first 'live' game I ever saw on the television was the 1967 FA Cup final. I remember a deep sense of injustice because Terry Venables, who they had recently signed from us, was playing for them. I was six and didn't really understand the transfer system . I just couldn't get it out of my head that one of our players was playing for them. The evil, wicked, dastardly people from the land of Tottenham were miserable, stinking cheats. I think the feeling just lodged in my psyche.

Being aware that you are one of our overseas fans, I anticipated all of that while writing my original post and your point of view is entirely legitimate of course. That said, when your probable stance came to me, I thought of my own support of the NFL's Washington franchise. I follow them from a distance, as you follow Chelsea, albeit that I've done so since 1983. Part of Washington fan lore I've taken on board is the rivalry with Dallas. It's a good day in the NFL when bad things happen to the Cowboys. While I'm not intending to be critical of the way you do it, these cultural things do tend to transmit around the globe as can be seen in the attitudes of international supporters of, say, Celtic & Rangers, or of Manchester United and Liverpool. It's all part of the fun. The emphasis is on the word fun however. I don't hate Spurs, there are clubs indeed that I dislike far more than I do them, Liverpool for example. If it were a question of choosing between Spurs and Liverpool winning the title however, just hand me that red scarf will you. There is no ugliness in this feeling, not in the way I experience it. It is just part of the entertainment. As I have often said, stealing from much cleverer people than me, if Tottenham Hotspur did not exist, it would be necessary for me to invent them. Even at my age, I get wildly excited when the two Tottenham games come around. I would hate to be without them.

Well said. People who post in that way can't possibly be supporters of this club. Not, at least, in the way I've always understood by the word supporter. Now, @Blue_Fox_ and others may very well say it's nobody's business to tell them how, or even who, to support and they'd be right of course. When you post in that way on a Chelsea fan forum however you have to accept that people are not going to like it and that they are not going to keep quiet about it.

Never, if I lived for a million, trillion, billion, billion years would you find me agreeing that there could possibly be anything good about Spurs wining the league. I can hardly believe I'm reading such a thing posted by a Chelsea fan. Forget reasonableness, fairness or sound analysis; this is Tottenham Hotspur we're talking about man! I was alive the last time Spurs won the league. Fortunately I was just a baby so have no memory of it but, even so, I have to tell you that once was more than enough. As far as that lot winning the league while I'm still in the world is concerned, never mind twenty's plenty, one and done is the song I'm singing.

Yes! Last minute of injury time, winner from Fran Kirby completes the fightback. Chelsea 2-1 Man City. The holders, who trailed with less than 3 minutes of normal time remaining, are through to a second successive Women's FA Cup final. The game will be staged at Wembley on May 14th.

Give or take the odd upswing in form by Willian, or downturn in productivity from Oscar, I still think the observation I've been making about Oscar over the last 3 years is accurate. With apologies to those who've read it before, the observation comes in two parts: - Oscar is clearly not good enough to start for the team Chelsea wish to be. Oscar is nevertheless the best number 10 Chelsea have.

In fact it was a quarter-final in 2013/14 and a right mess up too. We somehow managed to go out to a side we had beaten home and away in the group stage. Also it's 3 wins out of 5 so far. If we get past City it will be 4 out of 5. Let's see if any of the current crop make the grade. It was pleasing to see Jake look so impressive today. You'd expect a player with first team potential to look a cut above at this level, and he did. Ola was good too and Jay looks like he's spent the time he's been out injured in the gym.

I'm afraid I'm very, very old fashioned about this. I'm gald they went through, hope they win it, and hope City win the other one too.

Yes there is. Sane? You'll have to ask other people.

I can't imagine why you would be bothered to do it but, if you wish, it would be easy enough to flick through various conversations and and satisfy yourself that the obsession you describe does not apply to me. On the other hand it's not realistic for you to make a chiding remark and then to anticipate that the other person will not reply.

I didn't say that I want the club to sign Cavani. As for language being tricky I suppose you are saying that you don't in fact think that Rom's game has improved tenfold. Good, you're right.

I know all of those things of course yet, of the three, I still prefer Cavani. Tenfold means x 10, as you know. That might suggest, for example, that if Rom once miscontrolled 1 ball in 3, he would now miscontrol only 1 in 30. If I'm in a minority who know that isn't so then there are either a lot of innumerate people on this site, or an awful lot that don't watch Rom play.

I don't agree. Not even twofold. Last summer, I was among those who would have liked Dybala to happen. This summer I'd prefer Cavani to either either Costa or Lukaku. He's not the top option but I use him as the comparison because you did.

What a stupid piece of click bait. Loopholes? The article claims that Everton may owe Chelsea bonus payments under the terms of the deal which took Lukaku to Goodison and that, if so, Chelsea will expect those bonuses to be discounted from any transfer fee if Rom is re-signed. Well hold the front page! P.S. Don't want us to bring him back but if Conte does, he does.