BXL70

Face the reality. An average team has drawn against another average team. The league table does not lie. As usual it took us 30 minutes to eventually score a goal, and 5-10 minutes for the opponent to equalize as our midfield and defense were in full panic. So predictable. What are the players above 'average', the kind of players we are expecting to play for Chelsea, these guys who would help us to compete for the PL or CL, these guys who could be hired by the top European teams? To me, there are two or three of them: Willian and Hazard for sure, and maybe Azpi. All the other players could play in any other PL team and I am sure many of them would be on the bench. None of them would qualify at Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munchen or even PSG. Mourinho is largely responsible for building that 'average' team. To me, chanting his name during the match was totally unfair as regards the dreadful legacy of Mourinho, but it is also disrespectful of our new manager, and the players. Foremost, it is counter-productive. Understand: we are now in a situation, given that we won't be part of the next CL, in which it will be extremely difficult to attract 'above average' players, not least to keep the very few of them we have.

error.

Here it is:

Ivanovic has been dreadful once again. Just one example: when Martial hit the woodwork. Ivan was completely at fault. He was completely lost on the pitch. I feel embarrassed for him. He should not play again for us. Anyone else cannot be worse.

Give a chance to our young talents (in bold). Courtois Baba Terry Zouma Azpilicueta Mikel Matic RLC Willian Kennedy Hazard Rémy C

Not difficult to understand where the real problem lies. Compare the players with, for example, season 2008-2009 (3rd in Pl, semi final CL, winner of FA cup). Three cases in point: Matic v. Lampard Oscar v. Ballack Costa v. Drogba. Three leaders, three legends that have been replaced by just average players. Our recruitment has not corresponded to what we can expect from a top-flight club. Look just at the attacking players, we had at the time: Malouda, Torres, Drogba, Kalou, Lukaku and Sturridge. We now have just Costa and Remy. We have what we deserve after all.

Poor performance. Maybe José was right: these players are just not good, apart from Willian and Hasard. For the rest, we need a big clean-up. To cite just a few: Matic has been horrible, Ivanovic is awful, Fabregas was non-existent, Oscar is laughing stock, etc.

How could Chelsea find a good replacement given that there is nothing left to save for the rest of the season (forget the CL and the top 4) and that he could be sacked 6 months later just because some players have decided so?

Jose Mourinho sacking a matter of "when not if" as Chelsea crisis deepenshttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/managers/jose-mourinho/12051386/Jose-Mourinho-sacking-a-matter-of-when-not-if-as-Chelsea-crisis-deepens.html

Costa was the worst player on the pitch. Why not playing Remy? Besides, I am under the impression that the players are more motivated to play the CL than the PL?

There is no point of sacking José. It is too late. Forget the top 4 and the CL. Our main objective now it to avoid relegation.

Same players Same tactics No surprise: Same results

Mou should now shut the f... up. I 've had enough of his rants and arrogance. Let us now stick to this team and his manager. It is too late to change: forget top 4, forget CL. We must now try to avoid relegation. Manager and players will all bear full responsibility for the outcome. Big clean up will follow up.

As I said in an earlier post, the debate is now closed, whatever the manager: there is no way now we can finish in the top 4. All we can now hope for is to avoid relegation and humiliation in the CL. Instead Jose and the players will be fully accountable for the outcomes. Let's continue with the current manager and its team. Too late. Chelsea has now nothing much more to loose. Would we be relegated or humiliated in the CL, all the blame will come on the manager and players.

Maybe it is too late now to sack Mou: we can forget the top 4. Our two main objectives for the season are now the following: - Avoid relegation - Avoid humiliation in the CL would we reach next round. No improvement in the game so far (in practice, we should destroy a team like Stoke, and we lost miserably, we have no attacking power).

José brought back stability in the performance. Another game, another loss. It is the way forward.

Based on the first 30 minutes, it is obvious that the team is behind José. They play well. They fight. They are behind the manager. 0-0 so far.

Play Remy, and take out the rebels: Fabregas and Hazard,

Ancelloti is definitely our man. But would he agree to come up again?

Guardiola, Simeone, etc won't leave their clubs in the middle of the season to join Chelsea. Even worse, which world class manager would take the risk of coming to Chelsea with the perspective of being sacked 6 months later? Having said that, we would be better off at this point in time with an interim manager than with the Mou. He lost the dressing room or at least some key players. Hazard is one of the rebel.

Mou will be sacked next Monday. His behaviour and tactics have been dreadful. Some players should leave as well. Big clean up is needed. That team is polluted by too many medium-quality players.

We are not losing games just because of 'the referee or incidents or lack of concentration in crucial moments' as Jose keeps claiming. No, the reality is that our performance on the pitch is just awful. Yes, we do not deserve better than the relegation zone. The problem started beginning of the year. It was not fixed. We were just lucky. We've bought a lot of medium quality players ... no one is on pitch. Like Liverpool, say 4 players for 20m£ each - real worth is around 10m£ - instead of buying one player 80 m£ or two players 40m£ each. Stupid strategy. You guys really believe our team is one of the best in the PL? Be serious. Where are the leaders? We had in the past Terry, Lampard, and Drogba. They were real leaders. Terry is now just good to play in the MLS. The only one who is meeting my expectations is Willian. Who else? And with a manager that is more interested in fighting the FA, blaming everyone except himself, it will never improve, not to say the disgrace for the club. Jose is a Calimero. What a lesson he was given by Klopp: 'I am the normal one'. Besides, why does he stick to 4-2-3-1? Why not playing Remy along with Costa? Jose must go. Problem is: who can replace him right now?

RLC, Baba, Kennedy? How could they be worst than Ivan or Falcao? Impossible.

The first part of Jose's 7 minutes rant is a parody of him. Now we know guys: we lost to Southampton because of the referee! Fact is that Southampton fully deserved its win. And the score could have easily been worse. More fundamentally, I think that the transfer policy has been disastrous. Mourinho made it clear a couple of month ago that he needed a world-class defender, midfielder, and attacker. And he got nothing (I do not count Falcao: he is a ghost since the was seriously injured 2 years ago, everyone with basic football knowledge has seen his dreadful performance at Moncao and next at ManU). On top of this, some players are largely over-rated. Hazard is a case in point. He used to compared himself to Messi and Ronaldo (in the Belgian newspapers at least). Isn't it time for him to go back to earth? Fabregas is another example. He was bought by Chelsea because ... he was kicked out by Barca. And why in the first place have been taken Falcao on loan? Of course, Mourinho has lost the dressing room, at least with some players. But he was right in the second part of his interview: for a decade, Chelsea players got the message from the board that if the team under-performs, it is all down to the manager. And the managers were sacked. They were subordinated to the rule of the players. This must change. Mourinho made mistakes. He got it wrong with the medical staff. He got it wrong with Ivan. He got it wrong with the medias and the referees. He does not take responsibility. But he cannot be charged for that disastrous transfer policy. And yes, Chelsea needs stability, we cannot longer tolerate that the players take the decision. Abramovich got it right to keep him. I would keep him as well. The season is lost anyway, and I doubt we will finish in the top four. And in January, and all the players that are still under-performing are kicking out.

Mourinho OUT. Please.