toddandrewblue

BEST: Cech Ivan Luiz Terry Cole Essien Ramires Meireles Sturridge Drogba Mata BEST AVAILABLE: Hilario Ivan Alex Terry Cole Mikel Ramires Meireles Sturridge Torres Mata

The way the squad looks, it needs to be around 50% different for the remainder of the season to have a good year. Sturridge starting when he's off suspension, Luiz starting when he's back, Ivanovic starting, Josh starting, Yossi starting, Torres to consistently get a full 90, and Lampard firmly on the bench to play an important role late in games. Any other new additions we make need to PLAY not watch or go out on loan. Perennial starters need to earn their minutes, and the youngsters need to prove their worth. We couldn't have looked any worse with our young players in today than we did most of the game today. I feel like Roman is pulling the game-day strings, not AVB and his staff. This can't lead to success, just more mediocre play and continued malaise among the squad.

This looked like a return to the "bad moment" in my eyes. We played hard, didn't get a few calls, but there is so little intensity, such a lack of urgency, and absolutely no creativity. I'm not jumping on any bandwagons be they "sack AVB" or "we lost the title already", but if the team looks like this all season, we will be lucky to be top 4. I know we will get some players back, which can change the picture, but the culture of the team must be changed, to force a better attitude out of the squad. I agree with previous posts, and have stated since last season that Lampard needs to sit in favor of Josh, Yosi, etc. He is a shadow of his former self, but will make a fantastic spot starter and bench player. Losing his entitlement to a starting spot may even kick him in the ass and get him producing more. These guys all need to know that no one is guaranteed a starting job so they fight on the pitch for their starts and their place in the squad every week. Complacency seems to have set in last season and looks to be carrying over. I know it's only one game, against a tough team at a tough ground, but time will tell. We have a lot of the right pieces, we just need to add a few more and hope AVB uses them properly.

It's on Fox Soccer Plus at 8:30am Eastern.

Very pleased this deal has been completed. A much needed injection of youth, heart, and talent. Welcome Romelu!

Granted, but ramires played quite a bit last season, and Luiz, if he's not careful, can be reckless to the point of being a liability. Do you really think Benayoun and oriol will make a substantial impact? Do you think Sturridge will get enough time to have a say in things (I hope he does). And Lukaku is still up in the air, no? Just feel like the existing infrastructure is stale and/or broken down.

Top 4 PL Carling Cup win with a chance to see that our young talent has what it takes to move some of the old guard onto the bench. Maybe a FA Cup final appearance. CL - Quarters Top Scorer - Barring injury or mosquito bites, Drogba. If he goes down, it's going to be a group effort. No faith in Torres atm. Star of the team - Cech

Such a disappointment that, at the moment at least, it appears they will be running out basically the same squad as last season. We all know how that went, and I'm afraid it's going to go the same way the second time around. I'm a fan of stability, but everyone knows this team needed to make some serious changes to challenge in 4 competitions this season. Unless AVB is a miracle worker, or barring any last minute transfers (tired of waiting), I don't know if I can re-watch last season all over again. So frustrating.

First the poor play our our players, then the sacking of Carlo and now this kit? The jokes just keep on coming...

How long 'til we hear a decision on Carlo? Tonight? Tomorrow? A week? I give it a few days I think. Whatever the decision, I wish all of us a better time of it next season. KTBFFH!

Chelsea look today like last year's team made most other teams look.

I agree wholeheartedly.

Amen

I like it! Though it looks more like he's saying "F you Wayne" - maybe he was yelling at Rooney?

It's understandable, to a point, that they'd be less-than today. Problem is, we've seen so many games that look like this throughout the season, when something was actually at stake. I'd say this game is just masturbation, but it doesn't even feel that good...

Yeah, it's complete shit.

ESPN3 is not working today - why we're not on TV here is beyond me. They'd rather show the relegation battle.

This is long, but I hope you'll read it: There's a lot of blame being handed out here for today's loss, but I really can't pin it on today's performance, even if it was piss-poor. The title wasn't lost today, nor would it have been won today. If it is lost, as it certainly seems, it was lost during that 2 months when Chelsea looked as if they had never played together before, when the manager was making poor decisions, and the players didn't look like they could be bothered to give a shit. We fell 15 points off the pace in March and made it back within a game of going top again. During this recent upswing in form I was so guardedly optimistic, because I didn't want to feel let down if the team didn't make it all the way back. Almost better to stay well back and not make this run, getting all of our hopes up. But that isn't what the team did. They fought, and found their form (or something close - I don't think Chelsea has been really in-form since November - Ray Wilkins anyone?) and they made it back toward the top. As a Yank, I've lived baseball way more than "soccer" and the closest thing to this Chelsea team I can relate to is the NY Yankees when owner George Steinbrenner took way too much control of the team, bought a team full of fantasy league players, and had a dysfunctional mess on his hands for a decade. On paper the team looked great, but in game situations, it just didn't click. Managers came and went like geriatric hookers from Rooney's house, and the results never changed. Similar thing happened to my Baltimore Orioles, who have an overbearing owner who has mired the team in last place for 13 straight seasons after the Orioles were the best team in Major League Baseball for decades. I feel the same thing is happening with Chelsea. The chemistry has been lost from last season and something must be done to fix that, or it will not matter what other players we sign - wins will not come. The revolving door of managers has to be locked. While my wish is that Carlo be retained and allowed to build HIS team, there are 2 managers who could come in that would be exempt from my revolving door clause - Jose and Guus. Having worked at the team before, and with many of these players, neither would cause too great a disruption. I have only been a Chelsea fan since 2006, so I missed the back-to-back titles and much of Jose's best work. I feel lucky to have found this team, and will go to my grave a supporter. It is always the hardest on the fans when their team doesn't perform - afterall, the players, manager and owner all get loads of money to play a game, and that definitely has to make the sting a little easier to take when they lose. We fans have to PAY to watch these guys, we invest our time, money, and emotions and are left high and dry when our boys lose. I'm looking forward to next season now, and to see how they come out for the last 2 games. Hopefully some stability can be brought to the club, and along with it, some more League titles and the elusive CL title. Thanks for indulging me - I'd love to hear from the long-time supporters.

That was something that crossed my mind, just a shame to see the locker room politics when we've just scored the clincher.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. He actually flung Ashley's arm off of his shoulder as if in disgust. Did I miss something that happened between them? He was better when Mikel got to him, but that reaction to Ash caught me by surprise. I love how you could see Lamps in the background holding the fan who had rushed the pitch before he was swarmed by the stewards. He must have caught the guy in his arms because all I could see was the guy straddling Frank around the waist! Beautiful ending to a sub-par performance, and 3pts back is a far cry from the 15 back we were not too many weeks ago. Here's hopin'!

That hurts...

<----Look, it's Ashley, celebrating!

What were the odds that David Luiz would open his account before Torres? Love it though!

Why Ashley there? Reaching for some kind of answer...

Both streams provided went down. Anyone? Thanks! Sky Link is back up now - thx anyway!