OhForAGreavsie

Absolutely no indicator of anything whatsoever at all of course but his teammates looked pleased with it.

You are right but I can't imagine that fee is correct. If there is any truth to it at all then it's much more likely to be the total cost; transfer, agents and wages.

As for Martial. I've seen him play three times. Once against Arsenal and twice against Valencia. He didn't catch my eye against Arsenal, was absolutely brilliant in the first leg vs Valencia and, to be frank, was crap in the second leg. The fact is that all players have good and bad games; the trick is to see through the form and try to judge the finite quality of the player. Two such different displays make it hard to be confident in an opinion but, he showed so much to like in the first game against the Spaniards that you'd have to say there is something there.

Absolutely, completely, 100% right and it was always thus. One dimensional simply does not cut it and never did. For example Michael Owen* was, in my opinion, the best English finisher since Greaves yet, once people saw through the initial hype, he couldn't get a game for anybody. That was because being a pure finisher, even a very good one, is nowhere enough and never was. I heard Mickey Quinn talking the other day about an early season game where he and Clive Allen were subs for their respective teams despite having scored 80 goals between them the previous season. Quite right too, neither of them had enough to their games to hold a place in a good side. *Owen was a much better finisher than Shearer. Anyone offered a bet on any English footballer scoring a one-on-one vs any keeper will obviously take Greaves unless they're an idiot but next comes Owen in my book; a beautiful finisher. Even so Shearer was the better player. More to his game.

So do City. (Have youth products plying their trade in the lower reaches of the professional game.) We just don't know their names.

Well... There's truth in that of course but, in my opinion, City have shown themselves to be better judges of top quality players than we are. We have never signed a Silva, a Zabaleta or a Ya-Ya* and when we had the chance to sign Aguero our manager didn't fancy him. My point is that while City will lose players, they have shown themselves very capable of retooling well enough to stay ultra competitive. *I know many people will offer Essien as a Ya-Ya alternative but I'd take the City man every time.

The midfielder you describe and a starting quality CM are both higher priorities than a CB.

It was a tweet by an Everton fan who claimed to have been present. The comment was re-tweeted on the Chelsea Transfer Gossip feed which is where I read it. Obviously I've no idea whether the crying bit is meant to be literal or just a jibe at Stones. No idea even if there's any truth to it at all.

Hope not.

Quarter of an hour gone. Monaco 1 down on the night, 4-1 down on aggregate. Monaco have barely had a kick and could easily be dead and buried already. Mario hasn't had any kind of influence yet. Only notable involvement was conceding a free kick which looked far worse than it was. Started as a fair shoulder barge but he gave the bloke a shove at the last moment and turned it into a foul. Edit: Monaco just equalised on the night following a corner.

Firstly, well said. Everton's responsibility is to their own fans, their club as a whole and to their player. As far as that last responsibility goes, many well respected commentators have offered the opinion that remaining at Everton is best for Stones. This means that Everton should not be accused of ignoring John's best interests in insisting that he stay. I don't happen to agree, that staying is best for him but that's a side issue, you and plenty of others see it differently. Secondly, I think all of us here fully appreciate Everton's right to decide if they want to accept an offer or not. Thirdly, as Arsene Wenger said a few years back, there comes a point in the life of any transfer deal, when you have to know if the player is interested in joining your club. If, as seems likely, Chelsea are continuing to bid, it's reasonable to assume that they have received encouragement of some kind. That encouragement can only have come from the Stones camp so I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that Stones would at least like to hear what Chelsea have to say. Who knows how it will go. Personally I agree with those people who think we have bigger priorities but I don't make those decisions. More's the pity.

Wouldn't claim to hate any football club but if there's a candidate then it has to be Liverpool. Must say though that I get very, very happy when bad things happen to Spurs.

No it's fairly standard with players in the development phase. Neil Bath has talked about it a number of times over the years. It's also not only Chelsea who do it. Very standard.

Agreed, and he has been for a long time, stretching back most, if not all, of the way to Christmas. A starting quality CM, able to give the side more balance would undoubtedly aid Nemanja's game. If we can find one before the window closes then that would be great but, if not, Matic will have to muddle on without the help. There is no one else.

Really tightening now. Millie Bright on for Ji. Love Millie, she was excellent at Wembley anchoring midfield with Drew Spence. Was disappointed she didn't start today. Good player. 6 minutes plus stoppage time remain.

Emma Hayes tightening things up, Borges on for Aluko. Eni worked hard today. A couple of great runs and good passes to set up chances but a lot of her contribution was made working back today. Borges will probably sit in midfield.

Pen - big moment,. Title winning proportions. Gemma Davidson scores and with other results going our way today, two up with twenty minutes left is good.

The performances of those two, and others besides, do seem to be problematic. The implication of many of your posts is that you don't believe Jose can see that. I do not accept this. If you and I can see it then Jose certainly can too. Diagnosing the problem however is just stage one. Next Jose would need to believe he has better alternatives available. One thing is seeing the problem, another thing is fixing it. This is where judgement comes in. As you've pointed out, Jose fixes problems. This is part of the reason that he has my confidence. It remains to be seen if my current opinion is right but that opinion is that Jose will be here a long time and that he will make those who are presently frustrated by his decisions very happy in the long run. Very happy indeed. He knows what we know but there is no magic wand. Some of the answers are not available today and may not be available tomorrow either. Jose will move the squad forward in time and we will be better.

May I ask you something please, something completely off topic? That r word should not be used casually. Sexual violence has significantly increased in recent years. There are many reasons for that. The normalising of that word may not be one of them but it clearly is not a part of the solution so it may be a part of the problem. The word rape describes an horrific crime. It is not my place to police what words you, or anyone else, uses but I hope you won't be offended if I ask you to join me in trying to find other ways to talk about football. If avoiding that word helps just a little bit then I think that, as men, you and I can take pride in making a contribution to the solution.

No I don't, I've seen all of the games and that's enough for me to form my opinion. Seeing is only a part of the the thing. What you don't know is whether any alternative choices would have made things better or worse. You clearly think there were positive alternatives but you do not know. It's just opinion. No matter how angry anyone gets I'm not going to trade their opinion for Jose's.

Big game away to Arsenal. One up after 6 minutes. OG.

I'd rather have a new didierforever if you don't mind. Again it is only your opinion that Jose is costing us. You have only your own belief to support your claim. It's perfectly reasonable for you to back your own judgement. I happen to think that I am a very good judge of football too but why should anyone believe me? No reason at all. With Jose that must be different however.

There is a difference between support and agree. As for the arithmetic, it is more complicated than that of course. This is judgement not science. What looks like two to you does not seem to look like two to Jose. What makes you right and him wrong? If your answer is to turn the question around and ask what makes Jose right, I'd have to say that's the correct question. The thing is though that Jose has earned the right to have his judgement put into effect and in doing so he has earned my confidence and that of hundreds of thousands of Chelsea fans. That's the way it is.

And I say it's his judgement that's stopping him. His judgement, not yours or mine.

We need a new CM and a new AM, both of starting quality. This hasn't changed. If we can get them this window then great, if not, the world still won't end on the evening of 2nd September.