The Skipper

I'm not - those fees are already being amortised and are already included in our balance sheets and we still made a profit this season. Read this article about our situation with FFP and you'll soon realise that we can easily afford Falcao or another £100m.

Not true Choulo. We can still spend £100m on players regardless of FFP, I've vaguely explained this in the Roman Thread before. FFP is a very misunderstood concept and isn't as strict as you'd believe it is.

I think Eden will win the POTY next year as well to be honest. Ended the season very, very well.

If we aren't getting Schurrle, then Di Maria would be a great signing indeed. Nothing more than £25m though. Cavani Hazard - Mata - Di Maria Oscar - De Rossi Looks good to me.

I like the idea of this actually.

Will PM you one of these days.

Laughing at people who said this was a "token" signing because of his older brother. Thorgan's got talent of his own and had a wonderful season, 2 goals and 2 assists today isn't bad at all. We shouldn't place any high expectations on him yet though in my opinion - let him develop at his own pace. Could turn out to be a stellar signing if we do that.

Ahh dang. Not a problem haha!

Can I use this?

Beckham was a bigger celebrity than he was a footballer.

After winning the Europa League and confirming our top four spot and as the end of the season dawns it's only right that we sit down and analyse how well each of our players have performed and where we go from here heading into the future. I will analyse and evaluate the general performance of each player in the first team squad at Chelsea FC and give them a rating out of 10. Please do remember that these ratings are in the view of my own opinion and are in no way definitive. In part 1, we review our goalkeepers and defenders and glance at the long season they've had: Goalkeepers: 1. Petr Cech Another solid season from our evergreen goalkeeper Petr Cech. Whilst he hasn't had to perform his Munich heroics over the year, he has still at times single handily kept us in games. Not much to say about Petr apart from the fact that he has been one of our most consistent players this season and has also grown as a leader. Still one of the best in the world. Season Highlight: I'll just leave you with this little gem. Rating: 8/10 22. Ross Turnbull Unspectacular season from Ross, in what looks like to be his last season at CFC with his contract expiring. In the handful appearances he did make though he was mostly dreadful. Ross made 7 appearances this season for us, in which we lost games against Swansea and QPR, whilst also drawing against Reading and Brentford. Chelsea must look for a more competent second choice goalkeeper next season, preferably homegrown. Season Highlight: None. Rating: 2/10 40. Hilario N/A. Didn't make an appearance this season and seems to be off as well with his contract expiring. Good luck, Henrique. Defenders: 28. Cesar Azpilicueta A break through season for the young 23 year old Spaniard who has done remarkably well to establish himself as Chelsea's number 1 right back. An excellent defender, Cesar has exceeded expectations and deservedly won his first Spanish cap after some stellar performances at Chelsea. One thing young Cesar can improve on though is his attacking prowess. Whilst not bad at getting forward and providing the team width, Cesar needs to work on consistently putting in accurate crosses for the benefit of his team. Definitely one of the better RB this season in the PL. All in all, not a bad first season at all from the young man, who has great potential. Season Highlight: Stellar defensive performance against Norwich away, in which we won 1-0. Rating: 8/10 2. Branislav Ivanovic Quite an average season for Branislav. Started the season relatively poorly by his standards but slowly got back in to form as the season progressed. A fierce defender on his day, he has been quite solid after featuring more at centre back than right back this season where he became one of our better defenders as the year went on. Still provides excellent versatility as he's able to slot back in right back at any time - but this season has shown that his main position is probably at centre back, which will be an interesting conundrum for the club to look at. Do we give Ivanovic a starting berth or should we look at other options? Overall, an okay season for Branislav, who remains an excellent player for the squad. Season Highlight: His scintillating header to win us the Europa League final. Great header; deserved after he missed out on the Champions League final last season. Rating: 7.5/10 19. Paulo Ferreira Our ever-present veteran defender hasn't had much to do this season, but he's always performed decently whenever called upon. A great influence on the squad, it's a shame that it's his last season with us due to his contract expiring. Loyal servant and Paulo are quite the synonym, so it's best we wish him best in his next career move. Thanks for the memories, Paulo. Season Highlight: None. Rating: 5/10 4. David Luiz Luiz has been a breath of fresh air to many of us this season. Constantly berated for his proneness to mistakes in defence, Luiz started the season with a reputation of being a erratic centre half and he has done exceptionally well to turn that notion around. Defensively, Luiz has become a lot more consistent and has often been called and heralded by some Chelsea fans as their best defender this season. Luiz has also shown great versatility and performed well when placed in midfield where he has performed at a solid level. He has this season evolved as a player and shown that he can be a great leader, often being called the future captain by some. It has been a stellar season for Luiz, who'll look to establish himself even further next season. Season Highlight: David scored some great goals this season, so I'll leave you with two of the best: Rating: 8.5/10 24. Gary Cahill An indifferent season for Gary. Some thought that after last seasons heroics in the Champions League that he'd push on as John Terry's successor but unfortunately he's all but confirmed this season that he'll never get to that world class level as a centre back. He however, does remain an excellent 3rd choice centre back and squad player. He has also reminded everyone of his finishing ability - grabbing 6 goals this season as of date. A great player to have around the squad that has done a decent job despite being overplayed this season in my honest opinion - mostly due to John Terry's injury ravaged campaign. Season Highlight: Scrumptious volley with striker-like technique against Spurs in one of his finest performances in a Chelsea shirt and his last ditch tackle against Benfica. Rating: 7/10 26. John Terry © Overall, an injury ravaged campaign that saw John miss out on quite a few games. John has still provided the team with leadership and was great at the start of the season when we raced to the top of the league before he got injured. John still provides that presence whenever he plays and the defence in general look a lot more coordinated when he's in it but he's not the John Terry of old - he now struggles to play 2 games a week which is natural after the way John has put his body on the line for this club. Still a great defender to have around and a great leader of the squad, overall John has had a decent season and played a major role in our run to the Europa League final. Season Highlight: The Liverpool game which we drew 1-1. Before he got injured in the game, JT provided great defensive stability and an air of presence in a defence that was lacking leadership at the back sorely at the time. Scored a great header as well and looked well on his way for the MOTM until his horrific injury which sidelined him for months. Rating: 6.5/10 3. Ashley Cole Mr. Consistency. Still impervious at the back - maybe not as flying going forward as he was before but still a great asset to the squad. Ashley's had a good season, often his good performances have gone unnoticed simply due to the consistency in his performances; it's almost normal for Ashley to have a good game. While he is getting older and therefore can't get up and down the pitch as often as he used to, and has lost some of his defensive tenacity, he is still a great offensive outlet and very astute at the back. Solid season from Mr. Cole, who recently signed an one year contract extension. Hope to see the same solidness in his play next season. Season Highlight: His winner 5 minutes before time against Stoke. Rating: 7.5/10 34. Ryan Bertrand It has been a difficult season for young Ryan - who was seen by many after last season as Ashley Cole's potential heir. Provided he's rarely had the opportunity to show what he can do at left back (constantly being played out of position at the left wing), Bertrand managed to redeem himself somewhat when Ashley Cole came down with injury for a few games. He was given a consistent run in at left back and showed that he has the potential to be a good player there. Whether or not he's good enough to eventually replace Ashley Cole remains to be seen. Season Highlight: The solidness he showed at left back when Ashley Cole was out for a couple of crucial games. Rating: 6.5/10 *To be continued... Look out for part 2 where we discuss and analyse our midfielders and forwards. Click here to view the article

And this. http://arsenaltruth.squarespace.com/arsenal-truth/2013/2/24/wenger-wastes-310m-in-5-years.html

Last night pointed out exactly why I don't see David Luiz as a mainstay in CM. Against a team that is excellent at pressing he'd get found out - exactly what happened yesterday. We struggled to control the midfield partly because of him. Needs to stay at CB next season, only stepping in at CM when we have injuries or players need a rest.

If you've got time read this rant from an Arsenal fan on Wenger. It's flipping hilarious. http://arsenaltruth.squarespace.com/arsenal-truth/2013/4/24/wenger-oversees-another-dead-season.html

I still thought he was our poorest defender last night tbh, save his last ditch challenge.

Ramires' son has the same epic head shape as his father...

Hoping for a Chelsea and Arsenal win - can't stand Twattenham. I'd have: Cech Azpilicueta - Luiz - Terry - Cole Mikel - Ramires Moses - Mata - Oscar Ba Possibly have Ivanovic in over Azpilicueta who might be tired or in over Terry if JT can't make it. Let's get a win boys. Come on Chelsea!

His season's over IMO. Don't want him aggravating his injury.

I say bring it on.

Because that's what's he's been doing at Real Madrid right? Hooving the ball up to Benzema/Higuain/Callejon because they're all Drogba-esque strikers - oh wait.

Genuinely feel for Benfica fans, they must feel horrible, but Jorge Jesus is a cunt of the highest order.

Probably our best player in our Europa League campaign. Congrats Fernando.

Chelsea and Rafa was never going to be rosy but I'll say thanks to Rafa for not royally fucking up and actually managing a decent job. He hasn't been the miracle worker the media will have you believe he is but credit where credit's due, he's done okay. He's done the minimum we've expected (well, I expected) - win a trophy, get top four so fair enough. Good luck in your future endeavours Rafa.