OhForAGreavsie

Oddly enough me and another Chelsea obsessed long term fan were discussing Cesare during the CFCW Champions League tie with Real Madrid. This 'youngster' has been watching The Blues since 1964 which is longer than even me. 🙂 We watch Chelsea Academy & CFCW games together, but we've never sat together at a CFCM match. Unlike me he went to the EFL Trophy game at Peterborough. When I brought up Cesare and said that I didn't think he was ready, my friend immediately agreed. The young Italian is progressing but, for me, lacks finesse in some parts of his game. He works hard and fully commits to the physical side but I think he needs a loan to test and sharpen the way he manipulates and uses the ball. I think that a Premier League loan would be pointless, he wouldn't get minutes but, if a Championship or even League One team can offer him game time, that would be the next logical step.

I just watched the highlight video below of Andrey Santos. I really like what is shown there. Sometimes you can dismiss a player on his highlight videos alone but that's not the case with this lad. In fact, this video is very encouraging. I'd label it, "Talent Under Regulation". I hate flicks and tricks type players. On the evidence of this video Santos has high level technical ability, uses it when he needs it, then has the football brain to see the next simple but effective option. This video 100% encourages me to move on to phase two of the assessment process, all touches videos.

It's always going to be a question of judgement. Sign good players and all will be fine. Sign bad players and there will be trouble ahead. After watching a single youtube highlight video I felt, and said, that both Nathan and Kenedy were no hopers. In fact, with Kenedy I remember saying that it's sometimes difficult to judge a young player but that in his case it was easy to see that he lacked the quality required. Those decisions were obviously bad ones but that doesn't mean they all have to be. A few years ago my older daughter asked me why I watch videos of potential signings. I told her it was because I like to have an opinion. I'm looking forward to watching videos and forming an opinion about Santos.

Forgive me, but I've been having this conversation on various forums for nearly twenty years and I'm not sure I can raise the enthusiasm to rehearse the arguments once again. That's not to say that I would not be interested to read anything you have to say on the subject, I absolutely will be, but I may not reach for the keyboard to reply. Let me just confirm that I said a player cannot improve his basic talent level at twenty-three, although in fact I don't believe a player can do that much past the age of ten or eleven. The way I often illustrate my point is to ask, "If players can improve their talent level, why don't they all practice until they are Lionel Messi?" Of all my football opinions, this is the one of which I am most certain. I accept that my confidence is not an argument and so can't mean much to you, but I am 100% certain that I am right. Worse, from your point of view, I am 100% certain that you, and everyone else, will eventually agree with me. 🙂 That's if you don't already feel you can agree with me now that I've reemphasised that I'm talking about absolute talent level. Again, I accept that the strength of my conviction does not mean that you or anyone else will agree, but it does mean that my opinion on this is not biddable. I have this point of view and it can never be changed. It was my firmness of conviction on this which enabled me to predict in autumn 2011 that Romelu Lukaku would never be good enough for Chelsea. It is why, without watching him play a single minute for Inter, I was confidently able to dismiss the claims of those who told me he had improved in Italy. Indeed, when people explained that he had done extra training with Antonio and claimed that this had transformed him, I simply said that the fact he still needed remedial lessons at the age of 28 only proved that I had been right about him all along. I agree, of course, that players can learn how to make better use of the talent they have but the range of improvement is always linked to, and limited by, the basic level of ability. Modric always had the talent. He, and his coaches, learned how best to deploy it. It's a frequent experience that as children the high-level footballers play in forward positions simply because they are way more talented that the kids around them. As they rise up the ranks however some of them move lower and find their true home on a football pitch.

I have to admit that I am a Mason doubter but, for me, it's not about goal count or assist count. It's about opportunity conversion. In my opinion he too often nearly gets it right rather than actually gets it right. How many times have we seen Mason's grimace of frustration when he hasn't quite pulled off whatever it is he just tried to do? Frequently accompanied by a hands to face gesture. No one gets it right 100% of the time. No one even gets it right 75% of the time but based on my own impression when watching Mason, he does not get it right often enough.

And you've put your finger on our problem. Mase is an important player for us because our squad is what it is. If we ever build a squad capable of challenging for the title again, Mason's role, and importance, will change. I've previously used the phrase that I don't think we can be good without Mase, but that I don't believe we can be great with him. When Mason starts, we see the shortcomings and find them frustrating. When he doesn't, the current squad has no better alternatives and we see why he has to start. A better squad won't need Mase to start but, when he does, it will show off what he can do better than the current one does.

Thank you!!! If you ever spot me in a pub, come claim a free drink. The whole world has forgotten the word uninterested because they think disinterested means the same thing and makes them sound cleverer. Well originally disinterested did not mean uninterested. These days however, after being so widely misused, for so long, it has to be accepted that it does mean uninterested. Indeed, dictionaries now give both its original meaning and the uninterested definition when you look up the word disinterested. Still hurts my head though when people say disinterested, when what they really mean is uninterested. I wonder how many of those people know what disinterested really means?

My favourite old chestnut again. In terms of their basic talent level, 23-year-olds don't improve. While we remain a side struggling to reach a higher level, Mason will remain an important player for us. If we reach that level Mason will no longer be a key player, but he may find a niche roll in what would then be a much better squad.

I don't share this rush to judgement. Chasing instant solutions, and doing so at extreme high cost, is what has ground us down to our current state. The owners need to stay calm and so do we. They need to take their time and we need to allow them to. A key component of the plan must be to end the agents' gravy train. Given our history, intermediaries can't help but see us as a club which is regularly oversold on the qualities of players, and easily persuaded to massively overpay for their services. We have to get discipline into our recruitment operation and that includes ignoring fans who clamour for more and more shiny baubles. Any fans taking the attitude, "If we don't get two world class midfielders in January, I'm done.", should be thanked for their service and offered a £5 gift voucher for the Man City megastore.

To use an old-fashioned expression, this kid looks a player. This is the very blueprint of the type of deal which, if successful, could help us out of the hole we have dug ourselves into. I don't like the KDB talk, but the lad does demonstrate a football brain and the ability to identify the right option. At the rumoured price, I say pull the trigger on this one and try to find more deals like it.

Yes, definitely. 🙂

Let's not judge the bloke based on the rumour mill. There will be time enough to decide once we see what, if anything, happens during the next window. In fact, given that we can't influence the decisions, there will be no need to reach any conclusions until we've seen the impact of any January signings. I agree we will all have our opinions about whatever does happen, but we can easily afford to park them while we see how things play out on the pitch.

It won't.

Midfielder Erin Cuthbert has extended her contract until the end of 2024/25. Yes Ezza!!!

I watched a lot of KDB when he stayed at Genk for the rest of the season after we signed him. Not long after I started doing that I posted (on CfcNet) to say that, "I love, love, love the way he plays football." I've only watched clips of the Russian lad but I can't say I've recognised that same vibe from him yet.

One hundred percent in favour but I know I'm in the minority on this.

CFCW Ticket Updates vs Spurs, Stamford Bridge, Sunday 20th November 2022 at 13:00 GMT: General admission seats sold out, but Premium and hospitality tickets are still available at very reasonable prices. vs Real Madrid, Kingsmeadow, Wednesday 23rd November 2022 at 20:00 GMT: Only standing tickets remain. vs Paris St Germain, Stamford Bridge, Thursday 22nd December 2022 at 20:00 GMT: General admission tickets available now. Get 'em while you can. https://www.chelseafc.com/en/tickets/womens-tickets 🙂

On the other hand, if City have a binding buy-back then they can just exercise it and cut us out altogether if they want to. This is why a sell-on make our life a little easier. Whatever happens it will be a negotiation. I just would like to see this lad at Chelsea.

Interesting that City's interest is described as a sell on here when it has previously been said to be a buy-back. I'm fully in favour of trying to get this lad and a sell on makes negotiations more straightforward.

Quite right. In the end it comes down to a simple requirement; buy good footballers irrespective of the size of their reputations. Doing this is about judgement and discipline. The judgement to recognise high quality players, and the discipline not to settle for less. For all positions technical excellence is an entry level requirement. You are not automatically in if you have it, but you are automatically out if you don't. Technical excellence is best judged by the ease and efficiency with which a footballer carries out the simple tasks not the flashy stuff. Once a transfer target passes the technical excellence test then, and only then, look for the other attributes you want.

Yes, I would try to sell him that if he shows better defending. This is why I wrote of him 'sharing' RB/RWB duties with Reece. If Tino can dispel the doubts about his defensive contribution he would get enough game time and would be a powerful addition to our squad. If he does not show better defensive qualities however there can be no place for him back at The Bridge. I was a big fan of Tino's during his academy days, so I watched a fair bit of him at Saints. I didn't like what I saw defensively. His positioning was frequently awful.

Next up for the women an international break followed by Spurs at Stamford Bridge on 20th November, and Real Madrid at Kingsmeadow on 23rd November. https://www.chelseafc.com/en/tickets/womens-tickets

The girls inflicted ManU's first defeat of the season on Sunday. We now move up to second, behind Arsenal on goal difference although the Gunners have a game in hand.

Happy to lose this tussle.