OhForAGreavsie

We'd all share that hope I'm sure but I fear it's a very, very big if for Izzy. I wish him all the very best but I think he lacks the quality for a Chelsea career.

Yep you may be right and, importantly, it seems that Charly, Chelsea and Betis all agree with you.

As I've posted previously, the two best performances I saw Charly put in for us were both in the Modric role. Thing is those two games were the only occasions he played there and they were18 months apart so no one at the club seems to have any interest in seeing Charly used in that way. I don't know if you would call that a DM position however.

Really well said. I wanted to say something about judging a keeper on clean sheets but you said it in a much better way than I could.

My biggest gripe with the coverage of football is pundits and commentators who don't do their homework. They have such a fun job, just put a little bit of effort in lads. Shortly after kick-off in today's game the co-commentator was having a moan up about Betis, listing a couple of players who might help them but saying that apart from those two Betis had no creativity in their side. The two names did not include Charly which shows that he can't even have watched Betisi's last game and that is surely the least he should do. Anyway, by the 35th minute he was able to say, "If Betis can get the ball to Musonda as often as possible they'll do a lot better in this game." Obviously Charlie has shown enough to open the commentator's eyes but actually Betis have not been able to set him up with good possession all that often. Consequently, despite being the most effective player so far, both he and his team have been fairly quiet in the game. That said, they enjoyed their best spell in the last 7 or 8 minutes of the half so maybe we'll see more in the second period.

Over Easter in the old days there used to be 3 games in four days. One on Good Friday, one on the Saturday and another on the Monday. It was just a brilliant weekend to be a football fan. Can't speak for the players mind; it must have seriously disrupted their birds, booze and fags lifestyle. In the even older days they used to play matches on Christmas Day as well as on Boxing Day.

Matic had already been suffering 'poor form' for a year before Imbula joined Stoke.

I think what happened is that we were without any width at all due to both our wingers and both of our fullbacks being injured. (Robbie made the bench but did not feel he was ready and was very reluctant to play you'll remember.) Throw in the fact that each of our ties with Liverpool has been won by the side playing the second leg at home as well as that there was a ghost on the pitch and you have the real reasons for our exit that night. P.S. Is down the boil the American English version of the UK English expression off the boil? Have to confess I'd never heard it before.

I confess that I'd have been tempted to go weak tomorrow but I'm so proud of the stance that Chelsea football club adopt. We don't shrink from any challenge. I love Guus for embracing that attitude. I'm sure there will be some flexibility but I'm also sure there will be a selection designed to give the game a real good go. If Diego gets hurt so be it. Oh and I certainly wouldn't want to suffer a long, boring procession in Ligue 1 just so we could rest players for the Champions League. One day we will, at long last, build a squad the quality of which truly reflects the amount of money we spend on it. When that happens the manager will have more room for manoeuvre with his selections. For now however, when faced with the opportunity to prioritise a later fixture at the risk of compromising our chances in the game at hand, we always say stuff that and go out to win the next game. Love it, love Chelsea.

No I don't agree that it's the same thing at all. He just knew then that the next boss wasn't going to be him so answered as he did. Even today when asked if he wanted the job he ducked the question. Of course the media bods have forgotten, or are pretending to have forgotten, that Guus ruled himself out of the job last week, the week before and the week before that. They are therefore presenting it this evening as if it is news. The bit about the young people is perhaps a clue as to the reason especially when linked with what he had to say about the club needing to move away from short term managerial appointments. That is much closer to the truth I would say than that Guss did not want the gig. What's more I feel sure that Roman and Guus would have agreed mutually that a younger man is the way to go.

There are only twelve words which are a quote from the Betis manager. The rest is journalistic flourish.

A quote from the Daily Mail article linked above:

Well said. If Charly has even just one or two more performances at the level he showed last night then Wilmots would almost have to call him up. Tielemans on the other hand does not look even close to being selected. I'm tempted to ask, "Who is really the one that has wasted his time?", but that would be unfair. Unfair because I think if Youri had moved to Chelsea, and Charly had stayed in Belgium, then Charly would still be the one pushing for a place in the squad this summer. Charly is, in my opinion, simply the better player.* *I must point out however that I have only seen Tielemans play three times so this may not be the most valid opinion I've ever formed.

Firstly, I'm in full agreement about your last paragraph, apart from the last sentence. As to the quote from January, yes, about six weeks ago as I said. At his first conference, and at others up until January, he talked about the dates for the two cup finals (although he initially got the date of the Champions league final wrong) but then added, after that we'll see. He absolutely clearly left the door open to an extended stay. Something happened in January, something I speculated on in a post at the time. My guess then was that the club had reached agreement with the new man (in principle at least) , that Guus had been told about it and that this was the reason for his change of tune. I was very disappointed that Guus did not take the job when it was offered to him in 2009, and I'd be delighted if he was appointed now but he isn't going to be. There must be a reason or reasons for that but, while we can each speculate what the key reason might be, neither of us know. One thing for sure is that Guus has never said that he does not want the job. He may not want it but he has never said so, as was originally claimed.

Arsenal have already made it clear that they have no interest in such a set up and, today, Steve Atkins, on behalf of Chelsea FC, has categorically denied that any such idea was even discussed at the recent meeting. The only person I have heard speak in favour of the super league idea is a continental European who is an officer of a continental European club. I think you are readily persuaded to buy into the worst possible characterisation of the situation because that's what fits with your overall outlook.

This may well be true but some caution is advisable. 25 years ago it was Ajax and the Dutch model that we were all urged to follow. 20 years ago in was Manchester United then it was the French & Clairefontaine, the the Spanish and Barcelona. Now it is the Belgians. No one is seeking to deny the quality of the work being done but in the end it almost always turns out that coincidence plays a big part in the simultaneous production of a crop of high quality players.

How can you not love Guus? Today's highlights: - He's definitely leaving although he ducked the question about why he is not in the running for the job. Credit to the press core however, it only took them 6 weeks to finally come up with some good questions about this! He will be around Stamford Bridge and Cobham rather often but only as a tourist. We take all games seriously including this one. There will be a strong side selected. Diego will start but the plan, match situation allowing presumably, is that he won't finish the game. Neither Pedro nor JT is in contention tomorrow. No questions or comments about Pato. Guus is against the idea of a breakaway league which would shut out certain teams. He believes in meritocracy. If teams like Leicester earn their place at the top table then the must be allowed to have it. (My paraphrasing of what he said.) Steve Atkins chimed in to say that the idea of a European Super League was not discussed at the recent meeting.

Or Eden indeed.

Guus said this in 2009 but I have never once heard him say so this time around. Guus has said he is leaving but he has not said why. This is not to say that Guss does want the job but I do know he clearly did have more than half an eye on it when he returned. As far as the public knew that remained the case until about six weeks ago when he started to make it clear he'd be leaving the hot seat at the end of the season. It may be that the club, now obsessed with the long term boss idea, have made it clear that they want a younger man, it could be that Guus finds the alternative job he's been offered upstairs more appealing, or that his health won't allow him to accept the role in the dugout. Goodness it could even be that Guus just does not want the job, as you say. It could be any number of reasons but the point is we don't know because Guus hasn't said.

Agreed. I am not a big Pjanic fan personally but if the new manager, whoever that might be, wants Pjanic then I want the club to try to get him. The conversations on here might be fun, and might lay down markers for some I told you sos later, but someone has to choose the squad and, since that is never going to be any of us here, it may as well be the man who is paid to make it work. Let's build the new boss a squad he's happy with and allow him to try to get the show back on the road.

Another fabulous run to the byline. He's enjoying himself.

Brilliant run now from inside his own box to about 30 yards out where it broke down because Charlay passed for an inside run but the wide man held for the ball to feet. The Betis fans love him They are up each time he touches the ball. Wilmots may not have expected to see so good a display.

http://cricfree.sx/watch/live/espanyol-vs-real-betis-live-streaming

Wonderful assist for Charlay. Receiving the ball with his back to a defender, Charlay dummies to go left but moves right, turning his man in the process. His defender does well however and recovers to face up again only for Charlay to dribble past him and deliver a cross into box which was put away. He's doing well and Betis lead 2-0.

Me, I'm an ABT and I do mean anybody.